


Our Story

by eiramrelyat



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:09:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22393798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiramrelyat/pseuds/eiramrelyat
Summary: "She tossed and turned for an hour, fighting herself to not pick up the phone on the floor. Her mind was set, angry, and determined, yet her heart tried to reason with her. Peeta's still her friend, and though she doesn't realize yet, the silly boy already stole her heart." Everlark AU
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 89
Kudos: 198





	1. Old Ends

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoyed writing this piece, and I hope you’ll enjoy this little 3 part short story too!

Katniss’s wet sneakers squeaked loudly against the laminate flooring of the high school hallway. She was running late, nothing unusual, and while running to the red brick building, she unknowingly stepped in a puddle left behind from the sprinklers. It couldn’t have been a better start to the last day of her senior year. Then again, that was just one of the few things that occurred that morning.

Haymitch had passed out on the couch after a long night at the station, as he did most mornings, except this morning, he decided to change his routine. He popped a bagel in the toaster oven, forgot about it, bringing the bagel to catch fire. By the time Katniss rushed downstairs from her room, her hair still damp, from her shower, the kitchen was already taken over by a black fog.

Their home security system informed the local fire department, sending a fire truck to their house for the sake of putting out a burnt bagel. Haymitch had watched the scene unfurl in a daze, clearly uncaring that he could have burned the kitchen down. A firefighter joked that he should opt for coffee next time. However, Haymitch seemed uninterested in conversation and pushed them out of the house so he could go back to sleep. How he slept with the smell of burnt bagel in the air, Katniss will never understand.

Once that was all said and done, it had cut into part of her morning regime, leaving her only five minutes for brushing her teeth and pulling her hair into a braid.

At last, her best friend, Peeta, informed her that he couldn’t pick her up for school. He had explained that the senior hockey team was having their ceremonial last day of school breakfast that morning. This, he had only told her twenty minutes ago. Twenty minutes ago, Katniss should have already been in her homeroom.

Needless to say, Katniss found herself in a bad mood, when she should be rejoicing that she’ll never have to walk the halls of Panem High again.

Katniss slowly walked up to the large wooden door of homeroom, debating whether it would even be worth it to attend for the next fifteen minutes. She almost walked away, but she pulled open the door and stepped through the small opening she made.

All eyes were on her as she entered the room, especially a pair of blue ones in the back where Peeta sat with Gale and one of his teammates. Heat burned her cheeks from the amount of attention she received. Ignoring the empty desk, her best friend left for her, she quickly claimed an empty seat in the front row.

“How nice of you to join us, Miss Everdeen,” said Mrs. Dower. She looked at Katniss from atop her small-framed glasses, giving her a pointed look. “I hope you brought a book.”

She unzipped her backpack and cringed from how loud it seemed to be in the small quiet room. Her hand dug inside until her fingers felt the torn spine of her well worn paperback book.

“Yes,” Katniss told Mrs. Dower. The older woman made a high pitched noise before turning back to her reading.

Katniss attempted to read the book in front of her, but she could feel a pair of eyes piercing the back of her head, though it wasn’t hard to guess who’s. She was upset with Peeta, he ruined a part of her day that they’ll never get back again. Or perhaps it was his way of pushing her away gently, and the thought almost scared her. Was she losing her best friend already? Will he throw away their ten years of friendship that easily? A month after graduation, he’ll be moving to a different state to attend the University of Minnesota, where he received a full ride to play hockey. Katniss, on the other hand, is staying put into attending the local community college because she was still unsure of what she wanted to do after high school.

Maybe it’s for the best; she’d be a weight on his shoulders back in Panem if they stayed friends. Though she didn’t think she’d be saying goodbye so soon.

The bell rang fifteen minutes later, and Katniss all but ran out of the room.

“Katniss!”

From behind her, she heard Peeta calling for her from the body of students. Katniss feigned hearing him, and walked faster, until a group of girls blocked her path, allowing Peeta to catch up. He nudged her with his elbow as he walked in step with her.

“Hey,” he said.

Katniss glanced at him from the corner of her eye to see his boyish grin plastered on his face. It did ebb away at her grumpiness, but she didn’t want to let him off the hook that easily.

The group of girls they walked by swooned at the sight of Peeta and Katniss fought from rolling her eyes at them. Katniss was used to being overlooked when they were seen together. Why wouldn’t they? Unlike Peeta, she was not popular, and she glares at anyone who tries to make conversation with her. Katniss was as unapproachable as they come.

They walk out to the buses that take the seniors to graduation rehearsal, and Peeta finally grabbed her elbow to stop her. A scowl forms on her face, but she turned to look up at Peeta. Her scowl fumbles a bit when she actually looks at him for the first time.

It would be silly for her to deny how attractive her best friend is. His blonde curly hair peeking out of his favorite baseball cap, those broad shoulders, and that small indication of a grin that is always present on his face.

Madge was surprised when Katniss told her she didn’t want to date Peeta. But Madge didn’t understand their friendship. She and Peeta don’t see each other in that light. Plus, Katniss couldn’t imagine how the relationship would end come graduation. Even now, their friendship seems to be falling into the same unfortunate predicament.

“Okay,” Peeta sighed, “I’m sorry for ditching you this morning.” Katniss arched her eyebrow, and Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. “And for telling you last minute. I honestly forgot, I swear! It’s just..it’s been hectic for me the last couple of days. Our family is in town for graduation… I’m sorry.”

She felt herself deflate. She’d spend every last minute with her parents and Prim if they were still around. Katniss couldn’t hold this against Peeta.

“It’s fine, Peeta. I just had a long morning.”

Peeta frowned, visibly concerned. “What happened?”

Katniss tugged on his arm. “How about I tell you on the bus.”

He nodded, and when they found their seats, Katniss told him about Haymitch’s bagel fire. Peeta laughed as she finished her story, and Katniss found herself laughing too. Things felt typical between them again.

For the first time in a long time, Katniss was nervous as she sat in her designated seat during the graduation ceremony. Apart from her anxiety, the rest of the seniors were practically buzzing with anticipation. At the same time, they waited for the high school principal to finish his commencement speech. After that day of graduation rehearsal, the two days that followed flew by entirely too fast.

Katniss had yet to start her summer job as a lifeguard for the community pool. So those two days resulted in a lot of nothing. With Peeta being busy with his family, and Haymitch on night-shift, it left her to celebrate alone. Granted, she had Haymitch to talk to in the mornings. Though, it was more or less like talking to a zombie rather than her uncle.

She wished she was sitting next to Peeta, but his last name left him sitting three rows behind her with Johanna. Instead, she was squished between a boy named Marvel and none other than Peeta’s teammate, Darius. Darius has practically had a crush on Katniss for as long as she can remember, and she would have given in if he wasn’t so obnoxiously persistent.

“I like a challenge,” he told her once after she threw all of the red hearts he left on her locker in the trash. It would have been sweet if they didn’t consist of compliments about her body for all of Panem High to see. She had been mortified and red in the face. Peeta, however, thought it was hilarious, and she had an inclination that he was in on the whole idea.

Now she was stuck sitting next to him for two hours, and the smell of his strong cologne didn’t help her nerves any. She also wished she wore her jeans, instead of the white summer dress that Madge suggested yesterday. Katniss can practically feel Darius ogling the expanse of her bare legs.

“Don’t be nervous, Everdeen,” he whispered to her, and she hated how obvious her feelings were to him.

Katniss ignored Darius and stared at Glimmer’s bedazzled graduation cap in front of her.

“Congratulations to this year’s graduates!”

Then the seniors stood up from their seats, and black graduation caps were flying through the air, even Katniss threw hers. Now it’s lost among the sea of students, but she didn’t plan on keeping the ensemble. She doubted Haymitch would do anything with it other than toss it in a box and stuff it in the attic.

Haymitch stood next to Peeta’s parents amongst the throng of people. He looked disinterested in whatever Peeta’s aunt, Effie, was telling him- nodding his head out of tune with her words. His eyes lit up, though, surprisingly, when he noticed Katniss from the crowd of students. He was probably relieved to get out of the conversation with the woman at his ear.

“Congratulations, sweetheart,” he said once Katniss walked up. Haymitch wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed.

“Thanks, Haymitch.”

“Now where’s that nephew of mine,” came Effie’s shrill voice. It was no wonder why Haymitch was relieved. “Oh, here he comes!”

Katniss turned around as Peeta walked up to the small group, and she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked in his black pants and light blue dress shirt. Effie rushed past me, her stilettos clicking against the hardwood flooring, and enveloped Peeta in a hug.

“Congratulations, Peeta! We’re so proud of you.” Then she let go of him and stepped away. “We need pictures!” She grabbed Katniss’s arm before Katniss could protest and pushed the two together. “You two look lovely!”

Katniss and Peeta don’t hug, except that time at her family’s funeral, so it felt foreign when she felt Peeta’s hand rest on her lower back. She could feel the heat of his palm through her articles of clothing, or maybe with everyone’s eyes on them, left her hyper-aware of the fact.

“Watch that hand, boy,” Haymitch said. And for some reason, this made Katniss blush.

“Say cheers!” Peeta and Katniss laughed when they say it out of sync, then Effie takes the photo.

Peeta’s hand lingered for a few seconds after the photo was taken, and Katniss can’t help but think that he forgot he was touching her, so she stepped away, and it fell to his side. Yet, Katniss couldn’t help but admonish that she liked his hand at her back.

Slowly, the crowd dispersed, and Katniss felt Peeta tugging on her sleeve. She looked over, and he nodded his head in the direction of the exit doors.

“Come on, let’s go get something to eat.” Katniss felt excited at the notion of food.

“You kids drive safe; it’s busy out right now,” Haymitch said as they start weaving through the few people still in the stadium.

Peeta bought them shakes and burgers from their favorite drive-in and then drove them to their spot that overlooked the mountain landscape of Panem. They ate in comfortable silence on the tailgate of his truck. Katniss wanted to enjoy as much time with Peeta before they go their separate ways.

She knew that once he was gone, communication will be sparse. He’ll be playing college hockey for the Gophers, while she’ll be busy with work and school. Sure, they could find the time, but Katniss has no doubt that he’ll be making new friends. Minneapolis is full of people.

“What are you thinking?” Peeta pulled her from thoughts.

She crumpled up the burger wrapper and tossed it in the brown paper bag it came in.

Us she wanted to say. “How different things are going to be for you, and how much in the same things will be for me. Are you excited?”

Peeta shrugged. “I am, but as you said, things will be different.” He was quiet for a second, then he gave her a smirk. “And I won’t have someone to scare off the girls.”

Katniss felt her heart skip a beat, though she pushed the feeling aside. “I don’t think girls were scared of me.”

He let out a laugh. “You keep telling yourself that, and you just might believe it. I can name a few girls you scared off over the years.”

She glared at him, though she couldn’t fight the small smile from her face. “Excuse me for looking out for your best interest, I’m sure you’d do the same if guys were flying my way.”

Peeta gave her a look, then, one she couldn’t read. “I don’t think you realize how many guys have tried to ask you out.”

It was Katniss’s turn to laugh. “Ha, ha. Very funny, Peeta. The only one I can think of is Darius, and he made it obvious to everyone while doing so. Plus, I didn’t care for any of the guys at our school. Too immature.”

He gives her a weird look. “I see.” And Katniss feels that she has ruined their moment somehow. “So, are you coming to the senior party tonight?”

Katniss scrunched her nose. She didn’t so much as care for parties, or alcohol, which is bound to be there. She’d be out of place, and surely others would take note of that too.

“Listen, I’ll pick you up at nine and take you home if you’re not having fun.”

She bit her lip, how bad could it be? Then she nodded. “Fine. I’ll go.”

Peeta dropped her off at the house around six, which gave her plenty of time to get ready for the ridiculous party. Katniss walked through the front door and found Haymitch watching baseball in the living room. She walked in and plopped on the couch.

“How was dinner,” he asked, not tearing his eyes away from the television screen.

“Good.”

Haymitch never asked more than he needed to. Usually, he’d ask one question, get an answer, and be done with the conversation. Katniss didn’t mind, that’s one thing she liked about Haymitch, he didn’t fill empty space with unnecessary words. It also helped that she kept out of trouble.

Though, at that moment, she wished he would have said more so she could ease in her question about the party. Katniss wasn’t good with words either or asking for favors. She thought of what his response might be, yet it was no more than a yes or no question. _Can I go to a party?_ Simple. At least if Haymitch said no, Peeta would be out of luck to persuade him otherwise.

But when Katniss opened her mouth to finally ask, nothing came out aside from empty air.

“Is something wrong?” Her overextended presence must have alarmed him.

“No,” she paused, “but I do need to ask you something.”

This caught his attention. Haymitch paused the television and turned to her in his recliner. “If it’s about the birds and the bees, the only advice I can give is to use condoms.”

Katniss felt her face grow hot in an instant. “It’s not about _that._ ” She told him quickly. “I was wondering if I could go to a party at nine…with Peeta.”

He looked at her like she grew a second head. “Katniss Everdeen wants to go to a party? And mingle with other high school students?”

Katniss rolled her eyes. “I was hoping this would be a yes or no situation.”

“Sure, why not.” He turned back to the game.

Katniss’s mouth opened and closed, surprised he would easily allow her to go somewhere that underage drinking would be involved. “That’s it? You’re not going to lecture me about drinking, or boys?”

“Don’t drink,” he grumbled. “And I know Peeta is a good boy, I’m sure he won’t try anything.”

Her face could have been crimson at that point. “Peeta and I are nothing more than friends, plus he’s leaving.” Katniss stood up, a little disappointed Haymitch didn’t say no.

“I’m sure the boy would swim the ocean for you.”

She was not sure if this is him making her feel better about Peeta leaving, but it does nothing other than upset her more. Katniss stormed out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom. Now she had to follow through and go _mingle_ , as Haymitch put it. What was she even going to wear? Also, she’d never even attended a party that wasn’t an innocent birthday party.

Katniss threw herself onto her bed and glanced at the little digital clock on her nightstand. Two hours remain until Peeta will be knocking on the front door. Should she shower first? Katniss grabbed her hair and reveled in the smell of Peeta’s truck that still lingered there. Cinnamon and something sweet.

She laid on her bed for another three minutes, before pulling herself to the bathroom to shower. Katniss let the water run through her hair, removing the waves and the scent of Peeta. It only took her a couple of minutes to wash her hair and body, then she turned off the tap and wrapped her towel around herself.

After brushing her teeth, Katniss walked to her dresser and began pulling out her clothes. Katniss didn’t know why she was making such a big deal out of something she doesn’t want to do, yet she practically ransacked every drawer, approving none of it.

“This is dumb,” she grumbled.

She yanked a pair of jeans and a white button-up tank from the pile of clothes and put them on, no longer bothering how she looked.

It wasn’t long until nine o'clock rolled around, and Peeta was knocking on the front door. Haymitch answered the door as Katniss walked down the stairs.

“Hello, Haymitch,” she could hear Peeta say nervously. “Is Katniss around?”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’ll be down in a bit.” There was a sigh. “Listen, look after her while you’re there. She’s not my daughter, but she may as well be, and I don’t want anything happening to her. Do you understand, son?”

Katniss felt touched by Haymitch’s words, and she’d run out there and hug him, but she doesn’t need them to know she was eavesdropping on a private conversation.

“Yes, sir.”

She took that as her cue to enter the foyer. Peeta gave her that boyish smile of his when he saw her.

“Be safe,” Haymitch told her as she walks out the door.

“I will, I promise!”

Katniss climbed up into the passenger seat of Peeta’s truck and buckled her seat belt when Peeta started the engine.

“Are you excited to go to your first party,” Peeta asked, shooting her a small smile.

She shrugged. “I’d rather watch baseball with Haymitch, which says a lot because I can’t stand the sport.”

He scoffed but looked at her again. “Well, you look nice.”

Katniss blushed. She’d been doing that a lot lately. “Thank you.”

They pull up to a big blue house fifteen minutes later, cars already lined the long driveway. Big white greek letters hung on the side, and Katniss suddenly realized that they were at a local fraternity house. She glanced at Peeta, eyes round.

“I thought this was a senior party?”

He nodded, “it is, but Darius’s older brother said we could have it here.” Then he parked and let the truck idle. “I can bring you home, Katniss.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

Peeta gave her a big smile. “You’ll have fun.”

As they walked into the house, she couldn’t help but notice how he kept his distance from her. Was he embarrassed to be seen here with her? He was the one that insisted she come out. Then it donned on Katniss that perhaps he wanted other girls to know he was open for the night.

It stung, but that seemed to be a common occurrence- Peeta surprising her. That is, when did this new Peeta come along because Katniss wasn’t fond of this Peeta.

They walked into the warm house, and Katniss was grateful for the tank top she wore. It was sticky with the smell of booze and sweat, a very unappealing setting compared to a quiet room and book.

“Katniss?” She turned her head to see Darius heading their way. Oh great. “Oh shit, is Katniss Everdeen really at a party?”

She scowled. “Don’t get used to it. This will be the only one you’ll see me at.”

Darius ignored her sour mood and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Come, I’ll get you something to drink.”

Katniss peered over her shoulder for Peeta but didn’t see him anywhere in sight. He left her to her own advances, clearly his personal objectives in mind. She let Darrius show her to the kitchen, what else would she do?

Darius opened a red plastic cooler, the sound of ice sloshing as he searched for whatever he was looking for. Then he came up with a red can.

“You like Coke, right?” Katniss bulked, unsure how he knew this. He gave her an impish smile. “We ate lunch at the same table for five years now. You’re bound to notice things in that amount of time.”

Katniss accepted the Coke. “Thank you.”

His smile grew. “You’re welcome.”

Darius gave her a tour of the frat house, which she found herself mildly interested. She doubted she’d ever step foot in another one again. As they went from room to room, Katniss noted that she hasn’t seen Peeta at all. It’s as though he vanished in thin air.

They walked back to the main room, and Darius was going on about the college he’s going to. She was jealous that his athletic talent allowed him to leave the state, but Katniss knew she wouldn’t last long being so far away from home.

He talked and talked and _talked_. Katniss attempted to keep up, but she found herself lost after something about his brother and another. She took this time to observe the crowd but stiffened when she spotted Peeta in the far corner of the room.

Peeta was groping Glimmer, his hand fondling her large breast through her thin shirt. No one noticed the display of unadulterated passion against the wall, all too drunk to comprehend their surroundings. She was of the few that was sober if any were at all. Katniss didn’t even recognize her best friend that sucked face with Miss Perfect.

Then his hand traveled up her skirt, fondling her through her pink underwear for all of the party-goers to see. Yet, they didn’t see it. Katniss seemed to be the only one to notice as Peeta said something to Glimmer in her ear, causing the blonde to throw her head back. Then his hand slid under the thin pink material. The way he leaned into her, it was clear that he was drunk, his movements sluggish.

Katniss felt sick, and she tore her eyes away from the pair. Darius was still talking about his full ride in Maine, but Katniss wasn’t listening anymore.

“I need to go,” she told him suddenly and started walking away.

He trailed after her, and Katniss couldn’t find it in herself to care. “Are you feeling alright? Do you need a ride home? I’m sober, I can drive you.” She just nodded her head and followed him outside into the fresh night air.

Katniss started to shiver, her tank top doing little to shield her bare arms. She heard Darius take his jean jacket off, then it was thrown over her shoulders. It was the least obnoxious thing Darius has ever done for her, and it wasn’t even a romantic gesture.

He led them to a silver Jetta, and he opened the door for her, before jogging to the driver’s side. Katniss snuggled into the warm jacket about her shoulders, occupying herself out of the tears that threatened to fall.

Darius started the engine and pulled onto the main road, glancing over at her after a moment.

“You’ll need to give me directions,” he told her, but Katniss wasn’t even sure where they were. “Okay, what’s your address? I’ll put it in my GPS.”

She mumbled it through his jacket as he punched it into his phone.

“Listen, if you need to vomit, let me know beforehand. I just cleaned my car.”

Katniss rolled her eyes, the tender moment from earlier gone. “I’m not sick, I just hate parties.”

“Oh, well, that should have been obvious. To be honest, I don’t care for alcohol either.” Katniss shouldn’t have been shocked, but she was. Darius saw. “Hey, not all of us get pleasure from being wasted. I’d much rather watch everyone else act like idiots.”

Again, he surprised her. “You’re not so bad when you’re not trying to hit on me at every chance.”

He snickered. “That’s what we do. I chase after you, you turn me down. I’ll win you over soon enough.”

“I take back what I said,” Katniss said with a hint of amusement.

Darius clutched his chest. “A woman for my own heart.”

“I’m sure you’ll find another Katniss to antagonize in Maine,” she reassured him.

He shook his head as they turned onto her street. “There will only be one Katniss Everdeen.”

Darius pulled into her driveway and set the car in park before getting out to open her door. He accompanied her to the front door, and she gave him back his jacket.

“Does the knight in shining armor get a kiss?” He waggled his eyebrows, and Katniss chuckled.

“No, but you get my thanks.”

His hand ran through his short red hair, and he offered her a smile. “And you wonder why I keep coming back.”

“It’s a mystery honestly,” then she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. Darius’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and he rubbed the spot where her lips were only seconds ago. “Thank you, Darius.”

He had a goofy smile on his face as he stepped off the porch and back to his car. Katniss walked into the house and felt her phone going off in her pocket. She pulled it out to find three missed calls and five messages from Peeta, but she stuffed the device back in her pocket, ignoring his worried texts and calls.

Katniss wandered into the living room to find Haymitch waiting for her on his chair. He looked over when he saw her.

“How’d it go?”

That’s when the floodgate broke open, and she started to sob. Haymitch stood up from his chair, offering her a fatherly hug. She wept into his nightshirt until she had no more tears to shed. All the while, Haymitch soothingly smooths her hair.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You want to talk about it?”

Katniss shook her head, sniffling, and tired. She went to her room soon after, though she couldn’t sleep. All she could think of was Peeta and Glimmer. She didn’t know why she was so upset, it never bothered her before when Peeta flirted with girls. But perhaps him groping Glimmer cemented the reality that Peeta is slipping between her fingers. She felt that her fingers were only clinging to the shell of Peeta, and maybe it was time to let go.

She turned over in her bed and grabbed her phone to read the messages Peeta had sent earlier.

_‘Hey, I’ve been looking for you. Where are you?_ ’ She doubted he was thinking of her well-being while his tongue was down Glimmer’s throat.

_'Someone saw you with Darius. Did you leave?’_

_'I wish you would just let me know that you’re okay.’_

Anger boiled to the surface at his last text. Where was he for the first hour of the party? If Darius wasn’t there, who would have brought her home? He didn’t deserve to know where she was or how she got there.

She furiously messaged Peeta. _ **'Have a nice night Peeta.’**_ It was petty, but the fact that her answer kept him guessing, rested well with her.

Katniss tossed the phone across the bed and listened as it skidded across the blanket until it landed on the carpet with a soft thud. Her phone vibrated against the floor, and she knew she was receiving a call from Peeta. He called twice until her room was silent again.

She tossed and turned for an hour, fighting herself to not pick up the phone on the floor. Her mind was set, angry, and determined, yet her heart tried to reason with her. Peeta’s still her friend, and though she doesn’t realize yet, the silly boy already stole her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find eiramrelyat on [Tumblr](https://eiramrelyat.tumblr.com)
> 
> Comments and kudos are lovely🧡💚


	2. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long update. I, unfortunately, caught the flu, but I spent the last four or five days pulling this chapter together. I hope you enjoy the next addition to this piece. It's a slow burn, be patient!

“So, tell me why you’re upset again?" 

Madge clasped her lifeguard uniform into place, before gathering her shiny blonde hair into a low bun.

Katniss huffed, unsure of the response to present her friend. 

In the last three days, she had consumed her time recollecting how she overreacted and still has yet to come up with an explanation. Peeta had called her a total of five times since that night, all of which she let go to voicemail. If Katniss couldn’t describe to Madge why she reacted the way she did, how was she going to spell it out to Peeta?

Madge shuffled from her open locker to stand in front of the full-length mirror, examining her reflection. Katniss had yet to answer her question, giving Madge the impulse to resume talking.

"Have you ever toyed with the idea that you might hedge something deeper than friendship for Peeta?”

Katniss’s head snapped up from adjusting her swimsuit, catching Madge’s smirk in the reflection of the dirty mirror. 

Her mouth hung open, face tinged pink. “I’ve never-…we’re only friends." 

Madge quirked a blonde brow at her, not taking her bait. Katniss glowered and returned her attention back to her red lifeguard suit, fumbling with the front as if her small breasts couldn’t fit in the spandex. 

Madge puffed. "You two are the only people blind to how you act around each other.”

Disregarding Madge’s stare, Katniss pulled on her wet strands, roping them together to form a sloppy braid over her shoulder. 

“I think you neglect that he basically sees me as the annoying sister he never had. And don’t forget that he told everyone last year that I was one of the guys.”

It had been a lunch hour. Katniss and Peeta were walking to the table that his friends took over in the corner of the large school cafeteria. Cato, a jerk that Katniss didn’t care for, was stating something unseemly about a girl in Katniss’s calculus class. 

Katniss faintly recalls her name being Delly Cartwright.

She was a sweet girl, and Katniss never imagined Delly would become entangled with the likes of Cato. Didn’t Delly grasp that Cato was going to blabber their business to anyone that would listen? 

“I swear she’s never sucked dick before. She didn’t even spit-” he stopped when he noticed Katniss and Peeta had walked up, his mouth clamping shut.

Katniss felt her grip on her tray tighten. It kept her from lurching forward and punching his disgusting face. Peeta had shrugged, leaving Katniss stunned that he wasn’t bothered by how his friends expressed themselves about girls. 

Cato had all but shouted to a quarter of Panem High’s male population that a girl in their school was inept ‘in the sack.' 

“It’s okay, man,” Peeta thrust a thumb in Katniss’s direction. “Katniss doesn’t mind." 

She remembers giving Peeta a wild look and regretfully sat down next to him while Cato finished his offensive story. 

Delly left class early that day, blaming it on a stomach ache, but Katniss knew the real reason. And so did everyone else. Guilt wracked Katniss for the rest of that day. She should have prevented Cato from saying anything further, and maybe it would have saved Delly from some of the embarrassment. 

Katniss still wished she would have punched Cato. She would have relished watching him squirm from a broken nose.

Madge uselessly tidied any fly-aways she may have missed, even though the heat will spring them out of place once they are outside. Then she picked up her stark white towel, snapping it to close her locker. She pushed her large-framed sunglasses up the bridge of her nose, before turning to Katniss.

"Whatever you say, all I’m saying is no guy friend of mine has ever gone out of his way for me.”

Katniss rolled her eyes, knowing all too well that plenty of guys throw themselves at Madge. She’s gorgeous, tall, and curvy with flawless skin, nothing compared to Katniss’s standard features. Katniss even caught her best friend openly ogling Madge’s butt during gym class once. 

She closed her rusty grey employee locker and followed Madge out to the pool. 

The sun was hot and relentless, bringing Katniss to grimace when she noticed the umbrella over her chair was closed. She threw her towel across the plastic seat, hoping it would save her from burning her back end. Then she climbed up the steps, her flip flops smacking against her heels until she claimed her seat on the lifeguard stand.

There was already a long line waiting along the fence of the pool, waiting for the gates to open in two minutes. Utilizing her minutes to spare, Katniss propped her umbrella open. 

As she sat back down in her seat, she saw a blue truck pull into the parking lot. Three guys hopped out along with a blonde woman from the passenger door. The driver and the blonde walked together, while the other two walked ahead of them toward the curb. 

Katniss’s stomach flipped when the pair walked close enough for her to make out their faces. She realized the man walking with the woman was none other than the same person she was trying to avoid.

Katniss sank back into her seat when the gate opened, it was a pointless attempt considering she sat high enough for everyone to notice her. People steadily filed into the main pool area, each group or individual claiming one of the white plastic pool chairs.

She made an effort not to scan the faces for Peeta, but she couldn’t help herself when he walked through the archway from the lockers. 

His blond curls clung to his head, wet from the showers. Peeta wore a white t-shirt and red board shorts. He leaned against the wall until the woman he came to the pool with stepped out of the women’s’ locker seconds later.

Katniss grit her teeth when the woman turned out to be Glimmer, the memory of them together, falling into the forefront of her mind. She turned her gaze back to the pool and blew her whistle when Madge signaled that people could get in the water.

Fifteen minutes flew by, turning into thirty. Still, Peeta had yet to acknowledge Katniss, or maybe he had and chose to ignore her. She thought this was a good thing, unwilling to bash it out with him in public.

A loud splash came from the shallow end of the pool, catching Katniss’s attention. She blew her whistle when the head of the person who performed the cannonball emerged from the water.

The man turned in her direction, a smile pulling at his mouth before he wadded in her direction. 

“No jumping into the shallow end- oh!" 

Darius leaned against the edge of the pool, his red hair a wet mess atop his head. Katniss groaned. She should have known Darius was one of the guys that came with Peeta.

"What’s the problem, lifeguard?” He gave her a cheeky grin as he climbed out of the pool.

Katniss couldn’t help herself from noticing the hard planes of his abdomen, light downy hair trailing down…she blushed and averted her eyes. Thankfully, Darius hadn’t seen.

“No jumping off the shallow end. I didn’t think I had to voice that to a near-adult.”

Darius mussed up his hair to remove some of the water, ignoring her weak snub.

“Maybe I was just trying to catch your attention.” He gave her a wink, and Katniss rolled her eyes. 

She looked across the pool and noticed Peeta staring at her and Darius, Glimmer laying on her stomach next to him in her small black bikini. He made no move to wave, though, what else did Katniss expect him to do? She had been the one avoiding him; Peeta probably expected her to make the first move.

With as much courage she could muster, she raised her hand and gave him a feeble wave. Surprisingly, he waved back, lifting a small weight off her shoulders.

“…what do you say?”

Katniss had wholly forgotten about Darius, her attention focused on Peeta, that she missed all he had said to her.

“I’m sorry, what?”

He rubbed his neck and looked up at her through wet lashes, seeming sheepish compared to his usual bravado. “Uh…there’s a bonfire tonight at the lake. I was wondering if you wanted to come…with me, that is.”

She played with the loose end of her braid, now uncomfortable. “Like a date?”

Darius seemed to lighten up from this, offering a light chuckle. “That is what I was hinting at.”

Katniss felt her cheeks warm from embarrassment. She moved her eyes away from Darius, taking another look across the pool. To her disappointment, Peeta was already preoccupied with Glimmer at his side, talking about who knows what.

With a small nod of her head, she glanced back down at Darius, a hopeful look resting on his features.

“Sure.”

* * *

Katniss sat on the log next to Darius, tugging down the end of her shorts when he wasn’t looking her way. Had she known her legs would be the subject of interest to many wandering eyes, she would have thrown on her last pair of jeans from her drawer. An ill-fitting and well-worn pair that had seen better times through her high school years. They’d more than likely keep the stares out of her direction.

Darius described to her in the car that it wasn’t a party, just a group of the guys from the team getting together. Though, it was evident, more than just the hockey team surrounded the campfire. 

There must have been at least fifty people scattered about the area, each formed small circles on the outskirts of the fire. A few Katniss recognized from Peeta’s group of friends, and there were others that Katniss had never seen before. She wasn’t sure if some of them had attended Panem High at all, though Katniss wasn’t like Peeta, who knew almost everyone by their name. Katniss was lucky if she recognized faces; she didn’t spend her time worrying about where she sat on the invisible 'popularity chain.' 

There was no need. Four measly years with those you went to high school with, and then you’ll more than likely never see them again.

That’s why Katniss would much rather spend her time with a book, or enjoying the short summers in Panem.

Her eyes passed over the few faces she did recognize, surprised when Johanna Mason was among one of them. Like Katniss, Johanna didn’t seem to enjoy the company of others. Or that’s what she told everyone. Yet, she seemed perfectly comfortable talking to some guy Katniss couldn’t remember the name of.

Katniss and Johanna have only exchanged a handful of words over the years. None of them an actual full-on conversation, but they both seemed to have a silent understanding that they’d instead not make pleasantries.

One person Katniss had anticipated being amongst the sea of faces, though, was nowhere to be found. 

And even more surprising, Glimmer sat on the other side of the fire, batting her eyes flirtatiously at Cato. Katniss couldn’t help the scowl that pulled at her mouth, she never understood how this social circle worked. All of them merely hopping from one person to the next, before any sort of real relationship could form.

This didn’t stop Katniss from feeling defensive for Peeta as the girl he was with only hours ago sat in front of Katniss, ready to take on her next conquest. 

In Katniss’s heart, she knew Glimmer was wrong for Peeta, the evidence blatant for her to see, but she felt that she owed to inform him that Glimmer is a slag. Though she’s sure, this wasn’t news. 

Katniss pulled her eyes away from the pair when hands began to wander, uninterested in a replay of a few nights ago. 

She turned toward Darius, who was listening to Gale. They talked about sports, losing Katniss’s attention entirely, but she remembered the question she wanted to ask.

“Is Peeta here?”

Darius turned to her, pausing whatever new conversation he was about to have with Gale. “No, I think he said he couldn’t make it. Something about needing to go through his stuff for packing.”

Katniss felt her stomach drop. 

Amid her cowardice, she forgot that Peeta leaves in three weeks. She tried to keep from being upset, reminding herself that she was the one that chose to keep the silence between them. 

In one of those phone calls, he probably would have told her about this bit of information. Perhaps she wouldn’t be stuck sitting here next to Darius, even though she agreed.

“Oh,” was all she said.

She felt the frown crease between her brows as hurt weighed on her mind.

Darius started to turn to her, noticing her change in demeanor. Still, Katniss tried to shake off her feelings and offered him a pathetic smile, hoping it would stop him from investigating further. She wasn’t an excellent actor, but Katniss had Darius easily convinced, and he offered her a small smile in return. He gave her one last fleeting look before turning back toward Gale, returning to their conversation.

Katniss only sat there, hardly paying any mind to what they were saying, her mind elsewhere.

* * *

Darius dropped her off around ten, telling her he had an early shift in the morning.

“I had fun,” Katniss had told him, lying through her teeth.

He laughed, already unconvinced. “Come on, I know you’re not a people person. I noticed you ward off anyone that tried to make conversation.”

Her cheeks flushed. While she thought Darius was clearly too busy talking with his friends, he was also keeping track of whether or not she was enjoying herself. She was the worst possible date.

“I’m sorry. As I said before, I don’t like parties.”

Darius nodded as though he remembered her saying those words. 

“It wasn’t supposed to be a party, I wasn’t lying when I told you that, thinking you’d say no otherwise,” he told her honestly. “But, I guess I should have foreseen the guys also inviting friends.”

Katniss gave him a coy smile, anything to lighten the mood again.

“So we’re friends? You’re finally over your four-year crush?”

He snorted. “Four years is a little excessive, but I’d say we’re friends.” He scratched his chin in thought, sounding like sandpaper as his nails caught on the five o'clock shadow there. “I doubt Peeta would have let any of us date you anyway.”

Katniss’s eyes flicked to his face, her heartbeat now out of tandem. 

“What?”

Darius shrugged, not as interested in the topic as she. “He is just a good friend.”

Katniss peered out the windshield, slowly nodding her head.

“Yeah, he is.”

She walked into the house. Now that Haymitch is back on his regular night-shift schedule, it made the house feel quiet and very empty.

Katniss went up to her room to change into her pajamas, an old band tee that she snatched from Peeta years ago and a pair of flannel pants. She went through the motions of brushing her teeth and combing her hair when she heard the doorbell resonate throughout the house.

It’s only been thirty minutes since Darius dropped her off, and she half wondered if she forgot something in his car even though she hadn’t brought much with her.

She huffs out an annoyed breath when the doorbell rings again, and she pulled the door open, ready to snap at Darius. But her mouth fell slack, her words dying on her tongue when it wasn’t Darius on the other side of the door. It was Peeta.

He looked down at her, his favorite baseball cap casting a shadow over his face, making it hard to see his expression. She noticed that he carried a medium-sized shoebox in his hand, the tattered corners showing its age.

Peeta cleared his throat, breaking the silence between them.

“Can I come in?”

Katniss didn’t answer, only pulling the door open wider for Peeta to step over the threshold. She closed the door behind him, gesturing toward the living room. 

He toed off his sneakers before following Katniss into the next room. She sat Indian style on the couch, Peeta followed suit on the hardwood floor in front of her. 

The shoebox sat nestled in his lap, and her eye caught a shiny object poking out of one of the holes. She glanced at Peeta to see him also looking down at the box with interest. 

“What’s in the box?”

Peeta turned his gaze up to Katniss, offering her a small smile, then he held the shoebox out for her.

“Why don’t you look for yourself.”

Katniss grabbed the box from him, almost dropping it when she didn’t expect its weight. She settled it in her own lap, peering up at Peeta once, then her hands pulled the old lid off.

Inside resided all kinds of treasures. An old baseball, folded up pieces of paper yellowed with age, and a few smaller items scattered across the bottom of the box. 

She was confused about why Peeta was showing her these things that clearly held some value to him, but she picked out one of the items from the box anyway. It was the shiny object that caught her eye earlier, a gold pendant, tacked in the old cardboard. 

Pulling it free of its confinements, Katniss noticed a Mockingjay resting on top. Its wings were fanned out in such a way that it looked like the Mockingjay would fly from the circle it rested in. 

The pendant felt familiar in her hand as she twirled it for further inspection. 

“You don’t remember?”

Katniss looked up at Peeta, who was watching her, apparent amusement on his face. She shook her head, placing the pin in his open palm.

“I believe it was around the time when we first met. You walked into the bakery with your dad, and I was playing with my brother up front. You were wearing a girl scout uniform, and your signature Katniss scowl, clearly upset. I can’t remember how this ended up in your hand, but you threw it. I turned at the right moment, and it nicked me in the face.” Peeta rubbed the bridge of his nose, where Katniss noticed a small pink scar.

Katniss remembered now; she was grounded for a month.

“And you kept it?!”

Peeta laughed at the face she gave him. “Yeah, well, there are a few things like that in the shoebox. I was going through my closet, and it was sitting under a pile of hockey gear, I’m surprised mom hadn’t fallen over at the sight.”

Katniss smiles, placing the pendant back in the box. “I don’t blame her! I can only imagine the things she’d rather avoid in that room.”

“I suppose you’re right.” His face turned red. 

They fell silent, giving Katniss enough time to calculate her next words. You’d think four days to be plenty of time, but Katniss didn’t do well with confrontation. Not without getting angry and frustrated. Peeta didn’t say anything either, making the silence more deafening between them.

“I’m sorry." 

These were hardly all of the words she wanted to say, but they were the only ones that she could adequately formulate. Her eyes were trained on the items in the box, so she couldn’t see Peeta’s reaction, but she imagined he was staring right at her.

For a while, he didn’t say anything, the only sound from him was his steady breathing. Once a few minutes go by, Katniss started to wonder if she hadn’t said anything at all, that she had imagined the words tumbling from her mouth. 

"Me too,” she heard him say, though she hadn’t expected it. She stayed quiet, unsure how to continue, but Peeta beat her to the punch. “I shouldn’t have left you like that last weekend. It was…a dick move. And I’m sorry.”

Katniss shrugged, picking at a piece of cardboard. “Darius wasn’t bad company.”

Peeta cleared his throat. “Did he…did you…" 

Katniss’s eyes snapped up toward Peeta, understanding his insinuation before he could finish. She and Peeta never approached the topic of sex. It felt too intimate of a subject to discuss with each other, regardless of the fact that they shared everything else. Katniss didn’t want to think so low of her best friend, but she knew he wasn’t a virgin, though things heard through the grapevine were often muddled. 

However... Katniss was a virgin.

"No,” she said defensively.

His face seemed to relax slightly. “I just thought that was the reason you weren’t returning my phone calls, that-”

“That I had slept with one of your friends on a whim,” she finished furiously.

He gave an irritated sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “God! No. That’s not what I meant!”

“Well, that’s what it sounds like to me!” Her next words tumbled out before she could stop them, too heated to care at the moment. “I didn’t talk to you because I saw you and Glimmer that night! Not because I was too busy getting someone’s dick wet!”

Peeta’s face paled, his mouth gaped. Katniss crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, waiting for him to object to what she already knew to be true.

He pulled his cap off and ran a hand through his matted hair. “Fuck,” he said under his breath. Then he brought his eyes up to meet hers. “I’m so sorry Katniss, you shouldn’t have seen that.” Peeta ran another hand through his hair, before dropping it in his lap. “I had a crush on her for some time. At the party I noticed her standing by herself, so I decided to make my move. To be honest, I didn’t expect things to escalate so quickly. Though I couldn’t give her anything more than, um…well what you saw. I asked her out, but I guess I learned quickly that she could have cared less about a date.”

Katniss’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “But I saw you two today, at the pool. Things seemed to be cozy then.”

He gave a small chuckle. “Glimmer’s the only girl I’ve met that would get upset about wanting to take things slow. Glimmer threw a fit when I dropped her off at her house, hinting that she wanted me to go in with her since her parents weren’t home. I said it didn’t feel right.” Peeta sighed. “Well, long story short, she called me a few names and stormed out of my truck. She also told me not to call her, though I figured that was implied.”

Katniss bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile. 

Peeta noticed and gave her one of his boyish smiles. “Go on, laugh. I probably deserve it anyhow.”

She shook her head, feeling the goofy smile break across her face. 

“So are things back to normal between us again,” Peeta asked her. His voice sounding hopeful.

Katniss nodded. “As long as you don’t try to grope a woman while I’m in the same room, then yes.”

His eyes flickered for a moment, a distant look on his face, then it disappeared, and a mischevious grin replaced it.

“So, I heard you went on a date with Darius tonight.”

Katniss groaned and threw a pillow at him, pretending to be upset, though she couldn’t stop the squeal that erupted from her when Peeta bombarded her with throw pillows.

This was them, and Katniss locked this memory away with others of their time together.

* * *

The next three weeks flew by quickly, all of Katniss’s days spent being with Peeta. Whether it be at his house, the lake, or whatever else they could find to do. They tried to utilize all of the free time they had left. 

Peeta was hesitant, if not anxious, to hang out at her house. He said Haymitch probably hated his guts, but Katniss assured him that Haymitch hates everyone’s guts. This didn’t make him feel any better about the situation, yet he braved a few afternoons with her and Haymitch. Haymitch didn’t take his eyes off Peeta the first day, grumbling things under his breath the entire time.

To Katniss, it was comical, watching the two silently communicate with each other across the living room. Peeta, a nervous wreck, and Haymitch, Katniss’s overprotective uncle. She did feel anxious for Peeta when she would get up to use the bathroom, only imagining what words Haymitch would throw in Peeta’s direction. 

When Katniss would come back from the bathroom, the two were just as silent as to when she left, with the only difference being the change in facial color. Peeta’s was white, Haymitch’s face a bright red.

She started when Haymitch said he was going to go to the Mellark’s to say goodbye to Peeta. “I should probably say goodbye to the boy. He’s only been hanging around the house for nearly five years.”

He didn’t sound as thrilled when he said it, but Katniss knew that he would still miss seeing Peeta around just as much as she would.

Now everyone at the Mellark’s residence huddled in their spacious front yard, helping Peeta load his truck with the last of his belongings. Effie was a sobbing mess the entire time, earning a few eye rolls from Haymitch.

“The boy is going to college, not off to war,” Haymitch grunted at the end when Effie sent a steely glare his way. 

Effie gathered Peeta in her arms when his truck was completely loaded. “My sweet nephew is taking his first steps into adulthood, and I’m the only one that’s a mess over it.” She sniffled and wiped a tissue at her eyes.

Peeta pats his aunt’s back reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you when I get there.”

She nods, squeezing him one last time before standing next to Peeta’s mom. Peeta made his round of goodbyes, starting with his parents. Each person he said goodbye to, Katniss felt the tight ache in her chest. 

When he reached Haymitch, Peeta held out his hand awkwardly, but Haymitch surprisingly pulled him into a hug. It was quick and fleeting, and Katniss knew that it was Haymitch’s way of expressing emotion. 

Then Katniss was the only one left, standing awkwardly near the driver’s side door. 

Everyone seemed to be watching them, making Katniss feel uncomfortable until Effie clapped her hands together, likely noticing Katniss's hestiance.

“Come, Mary, and I didn’t spend all this time making food for it to go to waste.”

“I could use a beer,” Haymitch said. Effie clucked her tongue, a quick comment meant. Still, Katniss couldn’t hear it because Effie had already disappeared into the house.

The small crowd followed Effie, leaving Katniss and Peeta being the only two left on the front lawn.

This was it, where their two paths diverged.

Peeta’s hands were stuffed in his front jean pockets, also not ready to be the first to say goodbye.

“Oh!” His long arm reached into the truck from the open driver’s window, retrieving a small brown bag moments later. Then he held the bag out for me. “It’s for you.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a crease forming between his brows. “I’m not sure you’ll like it since you’re not the sentimental type, but…well, open it.”

Katniss unfolded the lip of the bag, a peek of something white catching her eye inside. She grabbed it and pulled the item free of the sack. It was a hockey jersey. The red lettering of Mellark and the number twelve printed on the back. Katniss stared at the hockey jersey, words caught in her throat.

“I know it’s not the best gift,” Peeta started to say, sensing that she didn’t like his gift. “But I figured I needed a few fans back home to cheer me on. I can keep it-”

She threw her arms around his waist, cutting off whatever else he was going to say. It took a second before she felt Peeta’s strong arms wrap themselves about her shoulders. Katniss inhaled the redolence of cinnamon coming off of Peeta’s grey cotton shirt, imprinting the scent into her memory. 

They stood there for who knows how long, enjoying that moment between them. Katniss was the first to pull away, remembering she had a gift of her own for Peeta. Peeta’s arms slowly fell to his sides, as Katniss reached into her sweater pocket for her gift.

It was something she had snatched out of the shoebox he brought to the house that day. Well, a few things. Katniss finished her little project two days ago, debating whether to give it to Peeta early or not. She had decided it only be fitting to give him his going-away present the day he left Panem.

She pulled out the small leather journal, the binding wrinkled from all the times she opened it.

Peeta’s eyes bugged when Katniss placed the gift in his left hand. He stared down at the cover, his hand nearly as big as the journal itself.

“Well, open it,” she mimicked his statement from before.

With his thumb and forefinger from his other hand, he turned open the journal, his eyes roaming the page filled with words.

“I wrote our story in there,” Katniss explained while Peeta flipped to the next page that held one of his drawings. “Not all of it has words. There are a few of the notes we passed during class.”

Peeta flipped through the journal until he landed on an empty page. He looked up at her then. “This one is blank.”

Katniss nodded, already feeling the tears prick the corner of her eyes.

“The rest of the journal is blank…for your story. If that’s something, you’re into! Whatever you want to do with it.”

Peeta pulled her into a tight hug, which she returned. 

As Peeta climbed into his truck, he told her that he’d call her on the road. Katniss tried to make a feeble attempt at a joke, telling him he should probably call his aunt first. He honked his horn when he pulled away from the curb, and Katniss lifted her hand in a small wave. 

Katniss had told Peeta how her days would go unchanging, but already, things felt different as she watched her best friend drive down the street and out of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts!? Thank you for reading:)
> 
> Also, you can find me on Tumblr under eiramrelyat


	3. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again! So this took me a second, I know, but there is some smut in this chapter. I hope that makes up for it. This is my first time with obscene writing, so if you have some tips, they are much appreciated! Honestly, that's what I was stuck on for so long! Anywho, you may have noticed that I have added two extra chapters, or if you didn't see, I did. But one chapter is the following of this one. Because this chapter is so long, I wanted to break it up into two separate chapters. The last chapter will be the epilogue! This is a long chapter as well.
> 
> A lot goes on in this chapter, so I'll meet you down at the bottom when you are done reading!
> 
> Enjoy!

"How was work," Haymitch asked while they sat in the living room eating leftover pizza.

"Good," Katniss said through a mouthful of crust. "Old Cray came in today."

Haymitch made a face. "He's not giving you any trouble, is he?"

"No more than usual, plus, the guy seems harmless enough. Just a bitter pain."

He grunted. "Well, you let me know if he gets out of hand. I've had three calls this week over Cray raising hell in town."

"I almost feel sorry for the guy, " Katniss said before taking another bite.

"Well don't, the man is old enough to be responsible for his actions, " then Haymitch turned up the football game on the TV.

After summer rounded to an end, so did Katniss's summer job at the pool. She was lucky enough to land a job at The Hob, a local sports bar in Panem, considering she lacked the proper social skills that came with the job description. Not to mention that she's never waited on a table in her life.

Haymitch just so happened to be good friends with the owner of the establishment, Sae, a kind but no-nonsense middle-aged woman. Sae reminded Katniss of a female Haymitch, though Haymitch would never want the word kind as a way to describe him. Their friendship threw the odds in her ball court, and before she knew it, she was helping drunk sport-crazed patrons while trying not to drop a tray full of beer on her white work shirt.

She and Haymitch finished eating dinner in silence, the game softly playing in the background. Katniss grabbed their plates from the coffee table and set them in the dishwasher, then bounded up the stairs to her room. Tonight Peeta and her planned on skyping each other, and she was excited since it was the first time they've ever tried it. Normally they'd call each other when they had free time, but Peeta came up with the idea and suggested they try it.

She shortly got ready for bed, changing into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. Her laptop laid perched on a pillow near the foot of the bed, giving her enough room to sprawl out on her stomach against the comforter.

Katniss chewed on her nail while she waited for her screen to light up with a call from Peeta. Nervous jitters wracked through her, and she continued to tell herself that it was only Peeta. But the fluctuations resumed anyway, only getting worse when her screen lit up.

The picture of her and Peeta popped up from a camping trip with his family two years ago.

A hand reached to subconsciously smooth her hair, and she stopped, chastising herself for being self-conscious. She tapped the green button to answer the call and waited for Peeta's face to clear. When the internet finally gave way to a clear image, Katniss wasn't prepared for what she saw on the screen.

Peeta sat leaning back on his bed, hair a tousled mess, and, more importantly, the expanse of his bare chest was on full display. She'd seen Peeta half-naked a countless of times, and somehow, this time felt different. Before, they would normally be with a group of people, either his family or friends. Now it was just the two of them. Katniss tried really hard not to gawk, but her eyes were fixed on the light dusting of brown hair between Peeta's pectorals. How she never thought that the hair on other parts of his body wouldn't match the blonde hair on his head. Though she's never had much interest in the proof until now.

She sucked in a breath, releasing a "hey" on the exhale.

He gave her his boyish smile, eyes slightly crinkling in the corners, and she felt herself relax. It was only Peeta.

"Hey." His voice sounded groggy, making Katniss believe that he probably just woke up from a nap, explaining the tousled hair. "How are things?"

Katniss dished out stories about her job, most including Cray. How she actually found herself enjoying her classes, even though she was sure she would hate the majority of them. Especially a first-year experience class that was a requirement. Then Katniss told him Haymitch is helping her browse for cars that Wednesday, something she's been all too eager for.

Haymitch has been chaperoning her around for the most part, unless he wasn't patrolling that day. It was plainly noticeable to spot a cop car in a small town like Panem. And also embarrassing when all eyes fell on Katniss as they watched her step out of Haymitch's cruiser. Haymitch didn't mind. One. Bit. Even flashed his lights before he drove off, causing Katniss's face to turn a deep shade of red.

"How do you like college hockey so far," she asked Peeta.

"Hockey is great, just...exhausting. The practice is definitely harder, I come back to my dorm feeling sore every day. But, it's a full ride," Peeta shrugged then ran a hand over his face." Classes aren't terrible either. A few of the guys I play with share the same professors as me, so it makes it bearable."

She snorted. "You're the biggest nerd I know. I'm sure you're doing just fine, or you'll sweet-talk your way in getting an A."

Katniss could recall all of the times Peeta had flattered his way out of something in school. It definitely worked on Ms. Johnson, a fresh out of college teacher that taught history. Her face would turn red at whatever Peeta said, producing a few snickers from his friends.

He gave a throaty chuckle, the sound doing things to her body that she had no control over.

"Hey, I recall my talents helping you out a few times. It's a gift!"

"I never said it wasn't, " she laughed.

The movement caused her newly sensitive breasts to rub uncomfortably against the rough fabric of her tank top; the position she laid in pushed them flush against the material. Peeta continued talking about classes and some friends he made, while Katniss moved to sit up.

She crossed her legs, sitting Indian style, and listened to Peeta while adjusting her shirt that rode up. Suddenly she was aware of the quiet in her small room, and she looked up at the screen to find that Peeta stopped talking. His face was tinged pink, and his eyes seemed to look somewhere off, avoiding her own.

"Uh, Katniss," his voice hoarse. "I can see, your um..."

What? Katniss looked down, and her eyes bugged. The thin tank top gave no way of concealing the reaction her body had earlier, showcasing the outline of her chest for Peeta to see. Her arms quickly flew across her chest, cheeks hot, and she glared at him.

"Look away!"

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down as she clambered off the bed and searched for one of her old t-shirts in her dresser.

When she came back, she tried to scowl at Peeta, but she couldn't help the way her stomach rippled when a flash of disappointment crossed his face.

"It happens," he tried to reassure her, but she felt he was only giving rise to the situation by proceeding to bring it up.

She covered her face with her hands, groaning into them. "Peeta, stop. This isn't helping. Can we just... forget, um, what you saw?"

A frown creased between his eyebrows, his eyes still trained on her. Katniss wished she knew what was going through his head at that moment, hers currently racing a mile per second. Then, the screen moved. Peeta pushed the laptop further down his lap until she saw _it._

An audible gasp left her mouth.

Not only was he exhibiting a bare chest, but he didn't have pants on either. A pair of tight dark grey briefs was his only barrier from being stark naked. They were flush against his body that Katniss could make out the noticeable outline of his excitement through the piece of clothing.

"There now you don't have to be embarrassed. You've seen my junk, and I've seen your tits."

All she could manage was a nod, remaining silent when he didn't move the laptop back up his body. She felt they have crossed the invisible threshold in their friendship, scaring and exciting her. Katniss has never done any of this with a boy, not that _this_ was really anything to boast about.

A niggling curiosity twined itself into her brain the more she eyed Peeta's hidden arousal on the screen, and she couldn't help but wonder…

"Was that from, um," she trailed off, too embarrassed to actually say the words aloud.

"Yeah," he nodded and slightly adjusted himself in front of her. The movement sent heat pooling into the pit of her belly. Her breath hitched. Peeta's eyes rounded somewhat, not expecting the noise, his expression now unreadable.

Katniss cleared her throat, ready to apologize, but he spoke before she could get anything out.

"I liked seeing you in that tank top, Katniss," he told her boldly. Her heart skipped a beat. They were entering taboo territory- something Katniss tended to shy away from when it came to Peeta, fearing whatever the outcome would be.

His words settled between them like a heavyweight, and she found herself completely lost of words.

"Oh," she squeaked.

She sat there, unsure of herself. It was just a shirt, right? But Katniss knew that there was more to it. The whole time Peeta's eyes never strayed away from her, not pressuring her to do anything more with his words but waiting for her next move.

Slowly she began inching the t-shirt up the length of her torso until it was bunched up under the swell of her breasts. Her heart accelerated when she watched Peeta bite his lip in anticipation.

Then, there was a noise coming from downstairs, halting Katniss from going any further. A soft knock resounded against her bedroom door. How could she possibly forget that Haymitch was still in the house, probably hearing everything she and Peeta have been talking about. Katniss haphazardly tugged her shirt down in panic.

"Katniss," she could hear Haymitch say on the other side. "Are you okay? I thought I heard some noise up here."

Dread filled her, he had heard. Maybe it wasn't exact words, but he had heard. She was all too thankful for the small fact that Haymitch wouldn't open the door, but, if anything, it embarrassed her more. Haymitch probably had the assumption that there was more than talking going on behind the closed door to her bedroom.

"Um, yeah." She cringed at how squeaky her voice sounded. Peeta smirked and Katniss shot him a steely stare. "I'm just talking to Peeta."

A deafening pause ensued and some muffled shuffling. "Oh...alright," came Haymitch's gruff voice seconds later, though it felt as if eons passed by as she was all too aware of her uncle standing outside her door. "Tell him I said hi," then she heard his retrieving footsteps down the hall.

Katniss let out a breath, her heart beating wildly against her chest. Now that they were left alone, the moment was lost, evaporating, she came back to awareness. Her reasoning was yelling at her for answers, questioning for an explanation. She couldn't believe what she almost did with her best friend, and that she _wanted_ to. Oh, how she wanted to. A few seconds ago, if Peeta told her to run around naked, she would.

Thankfully, Peeta moved the laptop back up his body, discomfort unmistakable on his face. Did he regret what they were about to do too?

"So, um, that was-" he started, but Katniss cut him off.

"A mistake."

Peeta scratched his ear, looking down so she couldn't see his face. "Yeah...a mistake."

She bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating a way to erase the rapidly growing tension. But Peeta knew precisely what to say, unfortunately, it wasn't a topic she wanted to digest at the moment, "so I hear aunt Effie and Haymitch have been getting cozy."

* * *

The next time she and Peeta skyped each other, Katniss was just getting home from class, hot and sweaty from the surprisingly warm fall weather. Against her better judgment, she wore a summer dress, the light cotton material sticking to her sweat-slick skin. Katniss felt like a hot mess with her dress gripping to her damp legs as she walked, her braid was messy, loose strands falling against her neck and forehead.

She didn't even have time to shower before the incoming call Skype tune started to play from her laptop on the bed.

Katniss pushed the screen open, accepting the call, this time greeted by a less naked Peeta. He was wearing a red sweatshirt and basketball shorts while sitting on a rumpled old couch. There was a barely noticeable five o'clock shadow gracing his jawline. As he scratched it, saying hi, Katniss took notice of how prominent his jaw had become... or had it always looked like that?

"Katniss?" Peeta's head was cocked to the side, a crooked smile splayed on his lips.

She shook her head to rid herself of her escaping thoughts. Her mind has been doing that a lot since that night, giving her dreams of a very naked Peeta, consuming her attention with images of Peeta. Everything reminded her of Peeta. She couldn't even look at the color grey without thinking of how good Peeta looked in those too-tight pair of briefs, the memory of his apparent arousal bringing wet heat to her core. It was exhausting how strung up her body has been all because of a silly tank top.

Worst of all, she couldn't quench the fire that sat deep in her belly, burning her with desire. No matter how many nights she's slipped her hands into her sleep shorts, her fingers trying to seek some sort of release, she could only bring herself close to the precipice, never over.

In the past, when she first grew curious about her desires, she was always able to reach the end. Touch that feeling which made her brain a little fuzzy, soft heat lapping through her veins, as she floated in a euphoric state. Of course, it wasn't without a little help from an x-rated video she found on some porn website. Now, all she managed to achieve were light flutters, disappointment, and unsated sexual frustration.

And it was all Peeta's fault.

"Katniss," Peeta said again, and she realized she never answered him the first time.

She blushed from being caught daydreaming about Peeta while he sat in front of her. "Sorry, long day," she lied.

His chuckle was warm and low, long fingers twirling the chord to his headphones between them. "I can tell. Do you want to talk about it?"

Her blush festered. No, she really didn't want to talk about it. Especially with Peeta. "Uh, no. I mean, it was...my classes, and it's hot as all hell here." She found it easier to talk the more she rattled on. "And I'm pretty sure Haymitch turned the heat on by accident this morning, so I came home to a scorching house."

He shifted to a lying position, the laptop presumably resting on his stomach. "I mean, you could take your clothes off," he winked.

Katniss knew he was joking, but the thoughts in her head reeled, her nerve ends at attention again from the idea of lying naked in front of Peeta. She really wished it was someone other than Peeta in front of her, someone else that she craved so deeply. But, of course, the world was against her.

"It would cool me off," she said to herself.

Peeta appeared to sit up straighter. "I'm joking, Katniss," there was a lilt to his voice at the end, such as when she remembered him going through puberty and his voice would change octaves.

Testing the waters, Katniss inched the skirt up over her crisscrossed legs until it sat just before the point on her thighs that still saved her modesty.

"Katniss," his voice husky. "What are you doing?"

Her body reacted to his words, gooseflesh covering her skin, even though her small bedroom was stifling from the setting sun beating through her curtains. She leaned back, the movement bringing the skirt up higher until it nestled softly against her panty clad center. "I'm cooling off."

His blue eyes followed her, encouraging Katniss to inch the dress up more, the thin material of her black panties now visible. Katniss should be embarrassed for acting so carelessly; she should have stopped when he told her he was joking.

You can do things like this with your best friends, right?

When her navel was revealed, he finally took his eyes off of her to glance around, his adam's apple bobbed. "Fuck, Katniss, I can't do this here. I'm in my common room," he told her, a noticeable panic on his face, then Katniss heard the light chatter of voices walking by. Snapped out of her stupor by the sound of other people, she tugged her dress back down and avoided any eye contact with Peeta. Her body was now feverish for other reasons.

"What's gotten into you?" He let out a deep breath.

Katniss threw herself back against her pillows, letting out a breath of her own. "I don't know." She bit her lip, before continuing. "I've been all out of sorts since that night."

"Oh," he said slowly, not catching on to her meaning. Then he must have remembered because the word fell from his mouth again with more interest. "I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes, those were not the words she wanted to hear, but then what did she want to hear? "Ugh, don't apologize Peeta, it only makes me feel worse."

Katniss couldn't see his face from this position, but she could only imagine the silly grin plastered on his face.

"Everyone gets horny, you're not immune to the feeling. You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Normal people don't flash their underwear to their best friends." It sounded worse when she said it out loud.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before, besides-"

Katniss snapped up, her vision filling with tiny black dots from the head rush. "Peeta Mellark, when did you see my underwear?"

Peeta let out a nervous chuckle and averted his eyes from her challenging ones. "Do you remember that camping trip we went on with my family?" He didn't wait for her response. "Well, you were changing and forgot to zip up the tent all of the way. So, uh, I accidentally saw you without pants."

Although she just flashed him her best underwear, she was mortified, the telltale warmth of a blush rising to her cheeks. "Peeta!"

He lifted his hands in defense. "I didn't do it on purpose, it was an accident. I didn't say anything because I knew you'd be embarrassed!"

"I'm embarrassed now," she groaned.

His mouth quirked as he said, "Katniss, how is it any different from you, showing me your underwear a few minutes ago?"

"Because this time I wasn't wearing a pair of light pink underwear with a cheesy saying on the butt." She scowled at him.

A playful smile pulled at his mouth, "I don't know, I didn't see the butt on these ones."

"And now, you never will."

* * *

Katniss felt a change with her and Peeta after that day. Even the way they messaged each other was different, leaning more toward a flirty trend. Perhaps it was only in her head. Regardless, it was all new to her. He's still her best friend, that part hasn't changed. But it was jarring, to believe this was her best friend sending her messages in the middle of the day, something he's hardly done in the past. Or adding winky faces when he told her goodnight.

She repeatedly reminded herself that Peeta doesn't see her like _that,_ as something more than a friend. Katniss wondered if she had been taking his words out of context, as that first night. Peeta could have been simply complimenting her, and she went and made a big deal out of it. And the last time she all but stripped in front of him, his reaction could have been easily mistaken for saving her dignity.

All of this was what ran on a wheel in her head, calculating texts and phone calls as if she were deciphering hieroglyphics. Yet she couldn't ignore her own traitorous feelings, that much she knew. Something was changing with her attitude toward Peeta, bringing her into a panic. When her thoughts flooded with all things Peeta, she'd quickly banish them and busied herself with homework or housework.

She put more effort into fighting off impending thoughts, than she did anything else, and she was starting to feel like a lunatic for being so hung up on one person.

A few days passed before Katniss talked to Peeta again. It was a Saturday and late into the night. She was snuggled into her bed, ready to fall asleep after a long day at work, when her phone hummed on the nightstand.

Her hand reached across the bed, grasping empty air a few times until she grabs the phone on the third try, silencing the noisy vibrations against the wood. She answered without looking at the caller I.D., too exhausted to stare into the bright light of the tiny screen.

"Hello," her voice thick.

"Katniss," she heard Peeta slur into the phone.

"Peeta?" Katniss looked over at the clock and saw that it was nearly midnight, suggesting it had to be one in the morning in Minnesota. "Why are you calling so late?"

"Drunk," he said, although it was already apparent. "I wanted to talk to my best friend." His words were jumbled, some even laced together to where she almost couldn't understand.

"That's nice, but it's midnight. I'm tired-"

"I'm sorry."

Katniss sighed, she already felt the sleep subsiding the longer she stayed on the phone. "It's okay. What do you want to talk about?" She heard him moving on the other side of the phone and wondered where he was. "Do you need me to call a cab?"

"Uh, no, I'm in my room." _Oh._ "Just talk to me."

What was she supposed to say? She had been put on the spot, and her brain had already retired for the night.

"How are you?" It was a dumb thing to say; Peeta was probably too far gone to even answer the question.

But he surprised her.

"Tired," and she slightly heard it in his voice. "I miss you. I've been thinking about you a lot. I can't get the image of those black underwear out of my head."

Tiny butterflies bloomed in her belly, bouncing around and making her giddy, but she pushed the feeling away. "You're only saying that because you're drunk, Peeta."

There was a groan from Peeta. "I'm drunk but I know what I want."

Katniss held her breath. "And what do you want?"

"I wanted to rip that pair of underwear from your body, and kiss my way up those smooth legs." The longer he talked, the soberer he started to sound. "Fuck, I want you Katniss."

A small gasp escaped her, and she bit her bottom lip to keep any more sounds from escaping, knowing Haymitch was sound asleep two doors down the hall. Liquid heat pooled in her core, and she rubbed her legs together to ease the ache there.

"You have no idea what you do to me. I'm so hard just thinking about you."

Another moan escaped her.

"Tell me you think about me too," he rasped, and there was some rustling against the speaker.

"Yes," she said breathily. "Always."

"Fuck, Katniss. Tell me how wet you are." Her body was on autopilot, moving without her accord, and her hand slipped past her pajama shorts to her underwear. The tips of her fingers brushed against the top of her mound and she gasped. "Tell me," Peeta growled.

"So wet, Peeta." She moaned as she put some pressure just above the bundle of nerves that begged for her touch so desperately. Katniss couldn't believe she was having phone sex with Peeta.

"That's it, Katniss. God, I love it when you say my name." He grunted and Katniss wondered if he was also searching for his own release. "Move your hand down and play with your clit for me."

She did and bit back the breathy moan that tore through her when the pressure sent white-hot heat up her spine.

"I want to hear you Katniss," he groaned. Katniss moved her fingers again, Peeta's name falling from her lips. "You're so fucking hot, Katniss. God, imagine that's my mouth there instead of your fingers." She did, oh, she did. "My finger sliding into your slick heat as I suck on your clit."

At his words, Katniss slid her fingers down further until she felt her weeping center, where she pushed in her middle finger. Her hips rose from the intrusion, imagining it's Peeta's fingers instead of her own. "God, Peeta."

"Are you fucking yourself?" All she could manage is a moan. "I want you to make yourself come," his words hitched at the end.

Katniss pushed another finger into herself to join the first, the new sensation of being stretched dizzying, then she ground her palm against the tiny swollen bundle. It didn't take many passes of her palm until her back bowed, and Peeta's name fell from her lips in a quiet mantra. All of her pent up frustration from the past two weeks ebbing away, leaving her feeling alight, and slightly lightheaded.

"Fuck," she heard Peeta grunt into the phone, followed by a low moan and his heavy breathing.

They were quiet, both basking in the afterglow of their orgasms. Katniss pulled her fingers from herself, wincing as her sensitive muscles clenched around them again. She grimaced as she wiped the sticky substance stuck to them on her underwear, reminding herself to change when she got off the phone.

"One moment," Peeta mumbled, probably to clean himself off as well. She could hear Peeta set the phone down, a muffled movement ensuing after. "I'm back," he said seconds later.

Now what? Do they pretend nothing happened? Will Peeta even remember doing this with her after tonight? Her mind raced, and she tried to think of something to keep the onslaught of questions from ruining her good mood.

"I've never done that before," she admitted. It was the first thing she could think of.

He yawned. "Never," his voice sounded slightly surprised.

"Never."

"Not even with Darius?" His tone was playful.

"No, I told you I didn't see him like that," she was slightly annoyed that he even brought Darius up.

"So does that mean you're a-"

"A virgin? Yes. God Peeta, being a virgin isn't a horrible thing."

He gave a small chuckle. "I'm just surprised that you'd choose me to have phone sex with, that's all."

Katniss rolled her eyes to cover up her embarrassment. Why was she embarrassed? "It's not like I've been holding out for someone special. Don't these things just happen? I'm sure your first time was with one of those girls that show up at hockey games to check out the merchandise."

A beat went by before Peeta cleared his throat. "I've actually never been with anyone," he said quietly.

Her brain tried to process what he was saying. "You're telling me you and Clove never tried anything when you dated," she asked incredulously.

She could feel his eye roll through the phone. "Now who's the one making assumptions. No, the only person I've done remotely anything with, was Glimmer, and we didn't even go that far. Clove told me she wanted to wait until marriage or something like that."

Katniss would have never guessed Clove to be someone to wait until marriage. Then again, the fact that she thought Peeta had already gotten his feet wet, proved just how well she was at interpreting people.

"Well, uh, I'm glad I was your first then," she choked out.

"Only you would make having phone sex weird," he laughed.

"Whatever." Her face was warm.

They talked for the next fifteen minutes, and she was unsure how they started to talk about _Game of Thrones._ As she was about to change the subject, she was interrupted by loud snores flowing through the speaker, followed by a groan. He had fallen asleep.

"Good night, Peeta."

Then she hung up the phone, and snuggled back into her comforter, a silly smile splayed on her mouth the entire time. Her dirty clothes were completely forgotten, then she fell asleep.

* * *

She pulled her coat tighter around herself as she walked to the campus parking lot. The cold fall days had finally fallen on Panem, resulting in lots of rain and minimal sunshine. Katniss didn't mind it as much, but she hated the number of layers she had to wear. Or the fact that the cold made it harder to roll out of bed in the morning her body not wanting to leave the warm protection of the comforter.

Katniss pulled the keys out to her new Accord, cold fingers fumbling with the button that unlocked the door. Haymitch had told her that the car was dull, with the lack of fancy bells and whistles. He suggested other vehicles, ones Katniss could never afford. Still, Katniss was instantly set on the car when she saw it. The size was perfect, and she didn't need anything fancy to get her around.

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind her, breaking Katniss's concentration with the key fob. She peeked over her shoulder where a tall figure was jogging her way. "You dropped this."

Finally, getting her door unlocked, Katniss turned to discover Gale Hawthorne walking up to her. She'd never really talked to him, even though he was one of Peeta's closest friends. She couldn't stand the majority of Peeta's friends, Darius is the only one she could now slightly tolerate.

His hand was extended, and he was holding one of her flash drives, the initials _K.E._ written in white permanent marker on the bottom. If she lost this, she would have just thrown one week of writing away, and possibly a letter grade.

"Thank you," she said and plucked the tiny object from his fingers. "I'd be screwed if I lost this."

"No problem," he said with a smile. "It's Katniss, right?"

Did he really not know who she was, she thought. Katniss conceded that she had only talked to him enough times to count on one hand in past years, all of which have been short 'hello's' after sitting at the lunch table next to Peeta. It was no wonder that his memory of her was just as insignificant.

Katniss gave him a slight nod of her head. "You're Gale?" She didn't need to ask, for obvious reasons, but she thought it the polite thing to do- acknowledging his existence over the last five years. Admittedly, it was a common courtesy.

He pulled the strap up higher on his shoulder and nodded. "I think we're in comp together." Katniss was stunned silent because she didn't deem herself a person you could pick out of a crowd easily. "I hope that's not creepy that I said that! I don't want you to think that I'm stalking you!"

"Oh, no! Don't worry about it," she urged. "I was just, um, caught off guard, I guess. At least I know one person there," Katniss finished lamely.

"Yeah, me too. I don't have a partner yet for that group project due next Friday."

Katniss scuffed the pavement with her worn canvas shoes. She didn't have a partner either, her lack of people skills stopping her from going up to an already established group to ask if they needed an extra hand. "Uh, we can be partners."

Gale smiled down at her. "That would be great," then he turned. "I've got to go, have to be at work in ten minutes, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded, giving a brief wave to his retrieving form, then she hopped in her own car and drove off.

When Katniss got home, she was excited that she actually had something interesting to talk about with Peeta, other than the recycled stories from her job at The Hob. Katniss plopped on her bed and pulled her laptop into her lap, then clicked on the little call icon near Peeta's Skype picture.

It rang twice before he picked up, his bare chest meeting her unexpecting stare. She almost forgot what she was going to say, the words caught in her throat from the distraction. Their night of phone sex instantly popped into the forefront of her mind. Katniss looked down at her lap to keep the inappropriate feelings from permeating her thoughts.

"Hey," he said. "What's up?"

"Oh, I wanted to tell you that I share a class with Gale." She peeked up at him, now only the top of his pectorals and up visible.

Telling him about Gale didn't seem to have the effect she thought it would; she figured Peeta would be somewhat interested to hear about one of his friends from back home. But his manner hardly changed from the news, if anything, he seemed distracted.

"What's your problem," she puffed, feeling irritated.

"I'm fine-" there was a soft thud in the background, and an unmistakable female giggle followed by another male voice. Katniss could see Peeta glare over the top of the screen. Then she heard, "Is that her?"

"Finnick, can't you guys fuck in her dorm room, "Peeta snapped at whoever was in the background. Katniss was a little taken aback by his harsh tone, never imagining him to speak to anyone like that.

There was more giggling, "come on, we should leave Peeta to talk to his Kitty before he bites your head off." Kitty? A soft click of a door emerged moments later.

Peeta looked back at the screen, the skin between his eyebrows pinched. "Sorry, my roommate has a girlfriend, and he's been keeping me up all night when he invites her over for sleepovers." He rolled his eyes at the mention of the last word.

Katniss frowned. "Is he allowed to do that?"

Peeta ran a hand through his hair, then released a sigh. "No, but he's a good roommate. I don't care for them being all over each other while I'm in the room. I can count on all ten fingers and toes how many times I'm sure they had a _secret_ rendezvous while I laid not even ten feet away."

She let out a humorless laugh. "Sounds like I could relate once."

He gave her a sheepish look. "I told you I was sorry."

She didn't want another reminder of that night, so she backtracked. "Maybe you two should set some ground rules, you know, so you could sleep?"

Shrugging his shoulders, "probably. I didn't mean to brush you off with what you said earlier," he gave Katniss an apologetic look. "Gale's a nice guy. He stayed back to help his dad run the family business. Even had a full ride to a school in New York."

Her eyebrows raised. "Wow, that was nice of Gale."

"Yeah, it was."

Then he reminded her about his first game of the season coming up, implying he won't be able to make Skype calls for two weeks because of practice. Her heart sank, their calls have been so regular recently, that it would feel strange not talking to each other for that long.

"We can talk longer today, though. I don't have practice tonight. But no promises if my roommate comes barging back in here."

Her mood perked up. "Okay, I'm going to change real quick, one moment." She rolled off the bed and walked to her dresser.

"You're not going to let me see?"

Katniss rolled her eyes, a blush creeping up her neck. Why was she blushing? She let Peeta say dirty things to her a few days ago, and somehow this made her flustered. "Peeta, don't be a perv. Besides, I remember someone saying, verbatim, that it's nothing they haven't seen before. If you want to see someone naked, why don't you ask one of your admirers to drop their clothes for you? I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate."

A heartbeat went by "because they're not the ones that I want to see naked."

Her back went ramrod straight, the band tee in her hands twisted from the grip she had on it. She stood near her dresser wearing her bra and panties, her heart thudding dangerously in her chest. Why did Peeta have to say these bold words that made her body so worked up. But she couldn't help but wonder how different this would be from last weekend now that they could see each other.

"Katniss?"

She dropped the shirt in her hands, and deliberately moved over to her bed, her feet feeling like cinder blocks with each step. A voice in her head told her to retreat and grab the forgotten pajamas on the floor, but she locked the internal voice away. Her interest in the unknown was getting the better of her.

Katniss propped herself back onto the bed, legs crisscrossed as per usual, ignoring Peeta's intense stare until she was comfortable again.

"Oh my God, Katniss, "Peeta groaned. She looked up through her lashes where Peeta was running a hand over his face.

"What," she said innocently.

He removed his hand from his face and set a pair of intense blue eyes on her, the look brought on that slow burn in her center. "My best friend is sitting in front of me in nothing but a bra and a pair of panties, and I can't do anything about it."

"What would you do," she asked breathily, the want that began to pool low in her belly made her dizzy and short of breath.

His eyes roamed over her half-clad form. "You don't want to know what I'd do to you."

Her breath hitches at the thought, "Tell me."

Peeta leaned back against the wall, scooting the laptop further down his lap until his arousal under black sweats was in sight of her hungry eyes. His blue eyes were darker when she looked back up at them, sending her stomach for a loop. The sudden feeling made her give a quick intake of breath.

Katniss was instantly thankful that Haymitch had to work a late shift tonight.

"First, I want you to remove your panties." His voice was demanding. Katniss hesitated, her fingers shaking as she gripped the lace trim at the top of her underwear. "Katniss," Peeta said, urging her to continue.

On trembling knees, Katniss slowly slid the dainty garment down her legs, the whole time trying to remember if she shaved her pubic area that morning. She couldn't take her eyes away from Peeta's face, watching the changes in his expression the further her underwear went. He bit his lip, before giving a molasses smile when he noticed she was bare as the day she was born. Katniss leaned back to peel the underwear off her legs until the only barrier was her bra.

She reached behind her to unhook her bra, but Peeta stopped her with a shake of his head. "Not yet." And her arms dropped down to her sides.

His eyes seemed to be drawn to the apex of her thighs, and she started to fidget as she waited for Peeta's next set of instructions. Dark blue eyes landed on her silver ones, then he told her to remove her bra. She wanted to huff in annoyance, but she knew she was the one that handed him the reigns, so she did as he asked.

With a quick flick of her wrist, the bra came loose. Black straps fell down her shoulders, but she held the cups to her body to keep the bra from falling down altogether. Not meeting Peeta's eyes. She was self-aware of her small breasts, knowing that they were hardly as big as Glimmer's, or even Clove's. It was part of the reason that she hated tight tops because she had nothing to show off.

"Katniss," Peeta brought her out of her evasive thoughts, his voice more gentle. She brought her eyes back to his face and gave him a nervous smile. "Show me."

Her hands slowly let go of her last article of clothing, and she felt it rub against the skin of her arms, only slowing down to catch on her erect nipples until it dropped to the mattress with a soft _thud._

"Oh," he breathed, the sound sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. "Katniss, you're so fucking sexy," he groaned.

His words encouraged her to cup her breasts and gently tug on her nipples. She rolled her head back when the action shot straight to her core. Then she stopped when she noticed that Peeta still had pants on.

"I want to see you." She was shocked how disembodied her voice was, not believing that was her that said those words.

Peeta's lips spread into a grin, and she watched as his hands reached down for the waistband of his pants. Her heart rate quickened as she anticipated seeing his cock, curious if it was as big as the current tent in his pants.

Just as the dark pubic hair became visible, a loud banging resounded from Peeta's room, and he jerked his pants back up.

"I brought Pizza," said the male voice from before. Finnick was his name.

Peeta glared over his screen and chucked one of his pillows across the room. "Fuck, Finn, don't you knock?"

There was a loud laugh. "Man, this is my room too."

Peeta's eyes looked back down at the screen, taking in her horrified naked form. He gave her a small smile. "Sorry, but I should go unless you want Finnick in the room."

"Are there tits on the screen," Katniss could hear Finnick asking, making her face hot. She reached for one of her pillows to cover herself.

Peeta shot Finnick a steely stare. "No," he said firmly. "And it's none of your business."

"Okay, I'll let you go," Katniss told Peeta softly. Her body was still coming down from the lust-filled high it was in.

He gave her another apologetic smile. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Bye, Katniss."

She gave him a small smile. "Bye, Peeta."

When the screen went black, Katniss's heart thudded wildly against her chest. She threw herself back against the comforter, staring up at the popcorn ceiling of her room. One thought bounced around as she laid there: Peeta Mellark saw her naked and she wanted him to.

* * *

"Okay, class, we'll meet again after the break…"

Katniss tuned out whatever Mr. Thompson said as she stuffed her things back into her backpack, rushing to get to her car for work. As she stood and walked out into the now crowded hallway, she felt an elbow bump into her. Instinct told her to apologize, for no apparent reason, but as she looked over, Gale was smiling down at her.

"Hey, you know there's a faster way to get out of this hallway."

Katniss arched her eyebrow, but Gale nodded his head to a set of double doors. She followed him, and they pushed through to a very quiet hallway. Katniss realized they were in the medical technology building.

"Are we allowed to be in here," she whispered when they received a couple of glances from some of the staff.

"Eh, as long as you're quiet. Not many people take this way, so I don't think they have minded, for the most part. Come on, the exit is up ahead."

They reach a stairwell that leads to the main level where the parking lot sat a few feet away. The alternative has saved her ten extra minutes.

"Thanks, I'm always late because my professor extends his lectures by five minutes."

He shrugged. "I thought I'd help a friend out." Gale walked with Katniss to the parking lot. "So how do you think we did on that group project, I don't think anyone received a grade for it yet."

"I don't guess on letter grades, it's like the odds fall against you if you do."

Gale laughed. "I didn't take you for the superstitious type, but yeah, I can see what you mean." They reach her car a few paces later, "there's something I've wanted to ask you?"

Katniss dug in her coat for her car keys, not thinking anything of what Gale just said. "What is it?"

"Would you want to go out sometime?"

She came up short, not foreseeing the question. Her mind immediately raced to Peeta. They weren't a couple, after all, nothing was stopping her from saying yes. But she still felt a small form of hesitation about going out with someone else, like she was betraying Peeta somehow.

"Think about it, "Gale told her when she didn't answer, then he turned on his heel to walk toward his own vehicle. "I'll see you later," he threw over his shoulder.

That night, Katniss had called Peeta, but he didn't answer, his phone cutting to the voicemail after the final ring. She sent him a text message instead, knowing he would see it later on.

 _'So Gale asked me out today.'_ She bit her lip before hitting send.

A frown formed, when moments later, Peeta replied. She wondered why he was too busy not to answer his phone, but he was able to text her so freely.

_'What did you say?'_

_'I didn't say anything,'_ she quickly replied.

Some minutes go by before she received another message.

_'Listen if you're asking for my permission, you don't have to. You can do what you want, I already told you that Gale was a good guy.'_

Katniss swallowed hard, her throat constricting at his words. How else did she expect him to react? Yet a small part of her almost wished he would have answered differently. That tiny voice in her head was telling her, 'I told you so.' There's a reason that you don't fool around with your best friend.

_'Fine.'_

_'Goodnight, Katniss.'_

_'Goodnight, Peeta.'_

* * *

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Haymitch grumbled beside her. They were walking up the clear sidewalk, despite last night's snowfall, to the Mellark's front door.

Katniss finally had a day off of work to watch one of Peeta's games, telling Peeta he'd go to his parent's game day party. They hadn't talked much since last week, not to mention how busy he's been since the season started. She hadn't even given Gale an answer yet, she'd been avoiding him, deciding that to be more comfortable than telling him no to his face. It was cowardly, but Katniss was never good with these things- confrontation.

This morning, Katniss woke up before Haymitch and made him a cup of coffee, anything to schmooze her uncle into going to the Mellark's today. Her last resort was mentioning the free alcohol that was going to be there. Though she should have started with that. It would have saved her the trouble.

"What else did you have planned today," Katniss countered.

Haymitch muttered something under his breath and hitched the three cases of soda higher in his arms.

"You sure you can carry those, old man?" Katniss snickered when Haymitch shot her a glare.

They reached the big red door to the Mellark's residence, and Katniss reached over to ring the doorbell. It chimed once throughout the big white house before the door was pulled open, the smell of food emanating from the opening, to reveal the kind face of Mr. Mellark.

He was handsome for his age. Sometimes, Katniss thought that Peeta was the younger version of his father. From the hair color, down to the way their mouths quirked in the corner when they smiled. The only noticeable difference was the color of their eyes. Where Peeta had bright blue eyes from his mom, Mr. Mellark's were a soft brown, like the color of honey.

"Katniss, you made it!" He gave her a kind smile, then looked at Haymitch. "Thanks for coming, Haymitch."

"This one wouldn't stay quiet if I didn't," Haymitch nodded toward Katniss. She felt heat radiate to her cheeks, and she fixed Haymitch with a sharp look. One that he blatantly ignored.

Mr. Mellark noticed the exchange and gave a low chuckle. "Let me help you with those, Haymitch." He grabbed the top two cases, and they followed him into the warm house.

Haymitch followed Mr. Mellark into the kitchen, while Katniss roamed into the living room where she could hear loud chatter drifting down the hallway. Effie's ever chipper voice was the loudest amongst the others.

Katniss poked her head around the corner that opened up to the living room, but her view was obstructed by someone's back. She felt her anxiety fester when she realized just exactly how many people crowded the large room. Wasn't this supposed to be a little get-together? Katniss couldn't quite make out how many bodies there were, but she guessed that it was well over thirty.

She made ready to turn back around and find Haymitch. Though the back that was facing her turned around, and she was met with the familiar face of Peeta's older brother, Rye. He was four years older than Peeta, the middle child out of the Mellark boys. Katniss hadn't seen him in years, possibly since he graduated and moved to New York for school. She faintly remembers Rye teasing her and Peeta when they were young, always calling Katniss Peeta's girlfriend. Peeta only ever blushed and pushed his older brother out of the room.

Now that he's older, Katniss can see the stark resemblance between Rye and Peeta. It seemed all of these Mellark men acquired the same features.

He started, clearly never hearing Katniss come up behind him, then his brows furrowed. "Katniss?"

Katniss nodded and shifted under his scrutiny, uncomfortable with the new attention.

"I hardly recognize you," he continued. "I still remember the scrawny tomboy that ran around the yard with Peeta. Now you're all grown up!"

Katniss frowned at his comment. "Thanks," she muttered. She peered around him to find an empty place to sit, hoping Rye would take the hint that she was done with formalities.

But he doesn't, he took it as an opening to spur on more conversation.

"Come on, I'll find us a place to sit."

They end up sitting next to Peeta's oldest brother, Graham, on the large sectional. In his lap, he held a giggling toddler, his chubby little hands holding Graham's. Katniss believed she'd only met Graham all but once, and that was maybe seven summers ago, so she had no idea that he even had children.

But he greeted her like they were old friends. Katniss supplied him with a quiet "hello" and gave the babbling child a small smile, uncertain how to act when it came to kids. He grew shy and hid his face in Graham's chest.

"Can you believe this is Peeta's Katniss," Rye said to Graham. Katniss choked on her spit at being referred to as _Peeta's Katniss._ Her chest did that fluttering thing again. Since when was she anyone's anything?

Graham and Rye gave her worried looks when she coughed, but she waved them off, eventually controlling her coughing fit. "I'm fine," she wheezed.

"I'll get you something to drink," Rye said and stood up before Katniss had room to protest.

Katniss sat quietly next to Graham until Rye returned with a bottle of water. "Thank you," she told him.

He was on to say something, but Effie announced very loudly that the game was about to start. This seemed to soften some of the conversations in the room. "Everyone, our Peeta is on!"

The announcer came onto the screen, then it flashed back to the rink as players filed out onto the ice. Katniss's eyes were trained on each player's jersey, looking out for the one that would be Peeta's. But when he skated onto the ice, Katniss realized that she would recognize him anywhere. Something about the way he held himself, with such confidence, was a dead giveaway.

After all of the players were in the rink, the national anthem was sung, the camera panned the stands. People waved at the camera when they discovered they were on the screen, some would shy away and look at their phones. Then they zoomed in on a group of girls that clearly go to the University of Minnesota, all dressed in maroon and gold. But one girl, in particular, caught Katniss's attention.

She was a pretty blonde holding up a sign that said ' _# 12's Biggest Fan'_. Katniss felt her body stiffen, but she tried to cover it with a cough when Rye looked over at her. Her mind was racing. Was Peeta seeing that girl? Why didn't he tell her? Most importantly, why did she care? Then Katniss remembered what they almost did last night, making her feel overall cheap.

Katniss stood up and excused herself from the room, ducking out into the hallway. She pushed open the door to the guest bathroom, closing it behind her, and sat on the lid of the toilet.

Why was she bothered? What they did the other night was a mistake, right? Her mind tried to formulate her jumbled thoughts. Recently, she couldn't push this feeling away every time she saw Peeta with a girl. Every time she saw Peeta. First Glimmer, now this nameless girl that cheered Peeta on in the stands. For as long as they've been friends, it's never bothered Katniss when Peeta dated. Why now?

Like a ton of bricks, it hit her, she developed feelings for Peeta that exceeded the limit of their friendship. Though she wasn't sure if it was love.

How did she let this happen? She'd been so careful about keeping the fine line drawn, now it's formed cracks, bleeding in unwanted feelings. But she should have prepared herself for the unlikely chance that she would fall for her best friend. She concluded that she needed to banish these newly developed emotions before it goes far beyond her control of the situation.

Later that night, when Katniss and a drunk Haymitch arrived home, Katniss texted Gale and agreed to go on a date with him.

_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? And how do you feel about Peeta and Katniss's relationship? Also, how did I do with the smut?
> 
> Thank you for reading!:)


	4. Misunderstandings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well:) Finally! Chapter 4! This took so long to write and edit, that the last few days have been sleepless nights. But I made it! This chapter is mainly in Peeta's POV but there are parts that are in Katniss's too. I hope you enjoy!

Peeta cursed under his breath for the sixth time in the last fifteen minutes. He didn't understand why he used wrapping paper for the small velvet box when he could have bought a gift bag that would have taken less than a second to throw together. 

"That's a nice gift for a girl who is only your friend," Annie quipped from her spot on Finnick's bed. She had her eyes trained on a nursing textbook in her lap, her mouth pulling into a sly smirk.

She was a few years older than him and Finnick, coming from a large city somewhere down south. Finnick and Annie learned only three city blocks stood between them meeting all these years. They went to different schools; Annie had explained that Finnick's high school was a rival of hers.

"We're like Romeo and Juliet," Finnick told Annie.

She giggled. "Not quite."

Peeta cut out a new sheet of wrapping paper. "I thought you and Finnick were going out tonight," he grumbled as his finger caught on the tape again, ripping the delicate wrapping paper.

She shook her head, "we decided we want to save an extra buck or two, and I need to study for midterms coming up. I'm worried it will bite me in the ass if I don't get a two-week head start." Annie raised a brow in question, "why? Are you going to confess your undying love for Katniss tonight?"

He made a face. "No! I-well she... it's complicated."

"How complicated is admitting your own feelings?"

Peeta patched the new hole he created with more tape, evading Annie's question. "We've been friends for years, but with Katniss..." he tried to think of a way to describe his situation with Katniss. Still, it required him to explain how he's had a crush on his best friend for years, and now it's confusing that she is showing some interest. Honestly, he doesn't know what to do with himself, none of it felt real. "It's complicated."

Her eyes softened before she turned back to her book. "Say no more, your secret is safe with me."

Just then, the vibration of his phone resonated loudly from atop his desk. He reached over to grab it, but a loose piece of tape from his wrapping caught on his arm, ultimately destroying his handy work. Where the hell did Finnick buy this tape?

"Shit!" He breathed out in frustration.

"Let me help you." Annie clambered off the mattress and walked over to his desk to grab his phone. She tossed it onto his lap, the device landing shy of his dick, causing him to grunt in distress. Then she collected his mess of wrapping paper and tape off the floor. "I will have a brain aneurysm if I watch you attempt this again."

Peeta opened his phone to find a missed call and message from Katniss. He was getting close to calling her back until he read her text.

_'So Gale asked me out today.'_

His chest constricted painfully, and his jaw tightened as he thought about Gale and Katniss out on some romantic date together. Gale had confessed to Peeta a year ago that he found Katniss attractive, but he never thought he'd truly ask her out. 

"Peeta, what's wrong," Annie asked as she finished wrapping the box.

He quickly typed out a reply to her next few texts and tossed his phone onto his bed.

"Nothing," he told her. Then he stood up to retrieve the small parcel from Annie and tucked it into his sock drawer.

* * *

He warily sipped on his beer while he watched his teammates party over their win from tonight. Peeta wasn't really in the mood for the loud music and constant chatter, his thoughts solely on a girl who won't give him a fleeting thought. But Finnick had dragged him out anyway, disregarding Peeta's protests.

"Mellark, why are you over here?"

Finnick stumbled into the room, spilling cups of alcohol all over himself. Peeta wasn't sure there would be any liquid left by the time Finnick made it to him. He shoved a cup in Peeta's hands, even as Peeta refused and told him he didn't intend on getting shit-faced. 

"Just one," Finnick slurred, then he started chanting, "drink, drink, drink!"

Others in the room joined in with his drunk roommate. Peeta wasn't one to succumb to peer pressure, but he figured if he took the shot, then Finnick would leave him alone for the rest of the night. 

"...Drink, drink, drink!"

Peeta scrunched his face and threw back whatever alcohol was in the cup, earning him a range of cheers from the audience brought onto him. He felt the burn spread through his chest and the sting in his nose, making him tilt back the rest of his beer to wash out the taste. 

It didn't take long for the liquor to dull his senses, and before he knew it, he was on his fourth round of shots and entirely unaware of his surroundings. Everything seemed to go by in slow motion, lacking any real sense of reality.

"Peeta," Annie exclaimed when she noticed him near the beer pong table. "There you are, come here. I want to introduce you to my friends." She tugged on his t-shirt to pull him further into her circle, and his eyes worked to focus again after the quick movement. 

Her slender finger pointed to her friend with ebony hair. "Meet Bristel." Then she nudged the pretty blonde at her side. "And this is Cashmere; you might have noticed her holding up my sign that I made for you at your game a few weeks ago. My arm still hurts from when I slipped on that patch of ice."

He gave them what he hoped was a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you."

The one named Bristel regarded him with little interest, flicking her eyes up from where she watched the foam in her cup, to his, then back to her cup in one fluid motion. She almost resembled Katniss, except Bristel was taller and her hair ended just below her shoulders. 

Cashmere offered him a kind quirk of her mouth. "You were great out there tonight."

He stuffed his free hand in his pocket, feeling put on the spot. "Thank you." She shot him a natural smile, with a quick flash of her white, straight teeth, before turning where Finnick came into the room with more cups. 

Peeta didn't know when it happened, but he found himself in another room, his friends nowhere in sight. He looked around for them, but everyone looked identical. 

A brunette, he couldn't remember the name of, asked him to be her partner on the beer pong table, though he could hardly see straight to make the balls in the cups, so they lost. Not once. But all six games. Or was it eight? Hours later, he walked her to her fraternity house down the block. It was a team effort, he barely knew where he was, and she could hardly stay upright. So he supported her while she guided them toward her light blue, two-story house.

If he wasn't drunk, he would have left when he brought her to the doorstep, wished her goodnight, and stumbled his way to his dorm. He would have probably called Katniss, leaving an embarrassing voicemail when she didn't pick up and passed out in his clothes on his bed. 

But he did none of these things. 

Instead, his mind flickered to an image of Katniss- her stormy eyes staring back at him. Peeta wasn't even sure he was conscious of the fact it was the brunette from the party in front of him when he leaned down to bring his lips to hers- not the girl he had yearned for most of his life.

She giggled when he missed her mouth, his lips touching her chin instead. This pulled him back to reality, and he tried to push thoughts of Katniss away, reminding himself that she’d rather be on a date with Gale. Katniss being with Gale set his teeth on edge. Now determined, he tried again, successfully meeting her lips this time.

"Come on," she said and pulled him through the front door.

They tiptoed into the house, trying not to wake whoever was asleep. However, he could hardly tell if his quiet steps were actually heavy footfalls as all he heard was a constant whooshing in his ears. 

She led him down a short hallway and pushed open the second door on the left. When the door closed, she grabbed the collar of his pullover, colliding her mouth with his in a frenzied kiss. Distracted from her tugging his bottom lip between her teeth, he accidentally stepped on her foot. But she seemed unphased by this and nipped at the tender skin between her teeth, then sucking it softly into her mouth to ease the pain. The sensation progressed straight to his groin. She shifted her hips toward his growing arousal, eliciting a groan from deep within his chest.

His head felt fuzzy from the amount of alcohol in his system, leaving him unable to form a coherent thought. He didn't know where to place his hands or what to grab first, entirely unfamiliar with foreplay. 

She encouraged him when he rested his hands against her rib cage, grabbing his left hand to palm one of her ample breasts. "Oh!" She rolled her head back with a breathy moan when he flexed his fingers experimentally, the curve of her mouth twisting in pleasure. His mouth latched onto the skin below her jaw, lips and tongue sloppily mapping out the newly exposed area. "Peeta," she gasped. 

Peeta's intoxicated brain betrayed him and conjured up another image of Katniss; she grunted his name, his mouth and hands drawing out soft mewls from her pretty, pink mouth. The effect went straight to his dick, making him painstakingly hard. In front of him, he no longer saw the brunette; it was only him, and the version of Katniss his imagination mustered up.

They staggered toward the bed in the corner of her room, almost tripping over their discarded shoes. Her hands insistently tugged at the hem of Peeta's sweater, and he stepped away to pull the clothing over his head, his arm getting caught in one sleeve from his haste. Her hands worked the button on his jeans; his abdomen jumped when the top of her knuckles brushed against the exposed skin. 

After she helped him push his jeans down his legs, she stood up and began pulling on her own clothes until either of them wore nothing aside from their underwear. Gripping his shoulders, she leaned into him; he lost his footing, his balance already compromised, to begin with, and they fell atop her soft comforter. 

She gave him a wicked smile. "Are you going to show me what you got?" 

The next morning Peeta felt like a bus had run him over twice. Everything hurt and throbbed; he couldn't tell where one ache began, and the other ended. His head spun uncomfortably as he tried to remember the night before, but it was blurry. Nothing that he could remember happening last night felt real, especially the part where he fell asleep holding Katniss in his arms.

He cracked an eye open, trying to roll over onto his side but he felt a warm weight preventing him from doing so. When he observed the bed he laid in wasn't his, panic washed over him; he turned his head in the warmth's direction, his face met by a mass of dark hair.

_Shit._

Hot breath hit the side of his neck as the woman next to him snored quietly, her frame rose and fell from her even breathing. Peeta glanced down where gray sheets entangled his lower half, a pair of stringy, blue underwear laying on his stomach. He closed his eyes and pressed into the pillow under his head. Peeta couldn't believe that he had sex for the first time and couldn't remember any of it. Did they even use a condom? The worst part was that he couldn't even remember her name.

Carefully, he extracted the arm she laid on. She stirred, and he held his breath, her waking up was the last thing he wanted. To his relief, she rolled over to the other side of the bed, where she snuggled into the blanket. His fingers tingled as he wiggled them to bring blood flow back to his arm. He found his clothes strewn across her carpet, and he made a face when he breathed in the alcohol on them, his stomach churning from the reminder of last night. 

He made a mental note to give Finnick hell when he saw him again.

"I had fun last night, Peeta."

He started from the voice and turned around, his jeans halfway up his legs, to find the brunette sitting up, her dark eyes cementing him to the floor. "Uh, me too…" he faltered as he wracked his memory for a name.

She scoffed and pushed up from the bed. "It’s Bristel." _Right._ Annie will kill him when she finds out. 

He buttoned his jeans and slipped on his socks and shoes. When he glanced over at Bristel, she ignored him and reached for her discarded underwear on the comforter. Peeta rubbed the back of his neck, did all drunken one-night stands become this uncomfortable the morning after? 

"So, " she said purposefully, yanking a baggy t-shirt over her head. "Who is Katniss?"

Peeta felt the color drain from his face. He wasn't expecting the question. "What?"

Bristel placed her hands on her hips and gave him a pointed look. "You only said her name about a thousand times last night."

He gulped. "Oh, um, she's a friend."

She made a noise of disbelief. "Well, the next time you sleep with someone, it's probably best practice not to call out another girl's name."

"I'm sorry," he said, lost on what else to say at that moment.

She shrugged. "I don't care, I only wanted sex. But the next girl you sleep with might not be as forgiving."

"Er, thanks... I guess."

"Don't mention it." Bristel brushed past him to head for a bathroom he only now noticed. “See yourself out.” Then she closed the door behind her.

How did sweet Annie ever become friends with someone like Bristel?

Peeta opened her bedroom door, squinting against the bright sunlight splintering through the blinds in the window at the end of the hall. The light went straight through his skull, bringing a dull ache to the beginning of a migraine. He navigated his way down the semi-familiar hallway leading out to the main room. In what he believed was the living room, sat two girls on a tan couch eating similar bowls of cereal. They paused from their plain breakfast as he walked by, their calculated stares watching him. 

"Good morning," he greeted stiffly, raising his hand in a feeble wave.

He felt their eyes drilling into his back until he stepped out of the front door and into the cold fall air. With a deep breath, he started his long walk of shame back to his dorm.

* * *

"I can't believe you slept with my friend, " Annie exclaimed loudly and threw a piece of her bagel at him which he evaded in time before it hit him in the face. The table next to them cast curious glances their way. Finnick laughed, not offering any aide against his fiery girlfriend. "How could you?"

"It's not like I planned for it to happen," he hedged. "Plus, weren't you the one that told me I should get out more?"

Annie huffed. "Yes, but that didn't entail banging one of my friends. Are you at least going to tell Katniss about this?”

He anxiously ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know yet. If I did, how would I even tell her? It just seems like a bad time.”

“Wait, if they are friends, I don’t see why it matters if he tells her or not,” Finnick stated.

Annie stared at Peeta, the fire in her eyes dwindling. She was the only one that really knew his secret. “Well…,” she started slowly, “their friendship is different. But it's better if she knew.”

Finnick snorted. “Sounds like a lot of work for one girl.” This earned him a smack on the arm from Annie. “Ow!”

“Are you saying I’m a lot of work?”

“Babe, you already know that you’re a lot of work.” Annie scowled over at Finnick. 

“I’ll remember that the next time you ask me to help you with your chemistry homework.”

Peeta laughed at the bickering couple in front of him, relieved the attention was no longer on him.

Later that day Peeta received a text from Gale. They hadn’t talked since graduation, and Peeta was a little surprised when he saw the notification on his screen.

_‘Hey, I hope you don’t mind that Katniss and I are going out tonight?’_

Peeta contemplated replying to Gale’s message; he feared his old friend would give him details that he’d rather not hear if he did. But he didn’t want to seem like a dick. Gale’s text was from hours ago, so Peeta doubted that he’d receive a reply.

 _‘It’s no problem.’_ He quickly typed out.

He stuffed his phone in his pocket to ward off his mind from wandering to Katniss. Instead, he put some headphones in and stared blankly at his homework for thirty minutes.

* * *

Katniss crossed her legs under the table, again, and leaned back in the plush dining chair, rolling her glass of water between her hands. It started off as a nervous tendency, first date jitters she presumed, then she grew irritated. Gale was thirty minutes late. Their waiter had already stopped at their table twice to see if she needed anything. However, it was apparent he didn't care about her well-being as much as he did the fact she was taking up one of his tables for paying customers. His tight-lipped smile was a clear giveaway.

There were no calls, no messages, nothing notifying her of Gale's appearance. She had read the text he sent ten times, making sure she hadn't misread something. _'7:30, Thursday night, Peppers, can't wait! See you then.'_

"Could I interest you in something to eat while you wait," the waiter asked beside her, pulling her out of her reverie.

Just then, she noticed Gale's tall figure push through the double doors to the restaurant, his face ruddy and hair windblown from the cold. The hostess pointed him in Katniss's direction, and he gave the petite brunette a charming smile.

"Miss."

Katniss forgot about the waiter leering over her side, she cast him a quick side glance. "Two more glasses of water, please."

He huffed before walking off to greet a family of three that had recently taken their seats. She picked up her neglected menu just as Gale walked up to the table, the smell of fall and that of a mechanic trailing behind him. 

"Sorry I'm late." Gale looked at her sheepishly while he regarded the scowl on her face. "My phone died, or I would have called to tell you I was working late."

Katniss opened her mouth to retort, but the waiter came back with their waters, leaving Katniss to stew in silence.

"Is the couple ready to order?"

Katniss's mouth hung open, words stuck in her throat. Meanwhile, Gale didn't seem phased at all by the waiter's error, pursuing to list off an order he knew by memory. The waiter turned his attention to Katniss, and she grumbled out an item she only glimpsed at, not considering if it was something she'd like. He collected the menus, saying, "I'll put that in right away" before scurrying away.

With the waiter gone, it allowed a thin veil of stillness to fall between them. She witnessed him taking in her slightly messy hair and her attempt at dressing up. His scrutiny caused Katniss to fidget uneasily in her seat, and she found she no longer knew what to do with her hands.

Gale cleared his throat, "uh, you look nice."

Katniss hated small talk. "Thanks."

She involuntarily gave Gale a once over, from his beige quarter-zip sweater up to his now tame ebony hair. He was handsome, she could readily admit this, though she would not say it to his face. Instead, she thanked him and reached for the dessert card placed on their table, reading whatever they had on special.

He chuckled nervously. "You won't make this easy, huh?"

She pursed her lips in consideration, not tearing her eyes away from the mouth-watering picture of pumpkin pie. "Probably not," she alleged.

"Ever the intimidating one," her eyes flitted up from the card to notice his lips lifting upward into a genuine smile. "I'd rather you be honest about it." Then he scratched at the dark scruff on his chin. "I'm kind of rusty at this dating thing."

Katniss blinked. What was she supposed to say? "Oh," she started, still properly organizing a sentence amongst the words bouncing around in her head.

"Katniss, it's fine. Don't beat yourself up over it. Honesty, remember? Anyway, aren't all first dates supposed to be terrible?"

Were first dates terrible? Katniss never dated- apart from the time she went with Darius to that bonfire from the summer. But she hardly considered it a date if fifty other people were in attendance.

Peeta had told her once she intimidated guys.

"What's that supposed to mean," she pressed. "Am I repulsive?"

He nudged her with his elbow, releasing a slow grin. "Come on, you know I don't mean it like that. I just mean that you appear unapproachable when you scowl at everyone that comes up to you. Maybe that's why they are so scared of you."

And apparently, this accounted for the bulk of the male population.

As far as second dates go, she hadn't thought about one, nor did she plan on Gale asking. It was purely somewhere to start in the dating pool. But she couldn't tell him that. She didn't know Gale well enough to predict how he would react once he gathered that he was nothing more than a test dummy in a failed experiment. So she expressed an assertion under her breath, and their date proceeded without further mention of second dates.

Gale walked Katniss out to her car after they paid, even though she insisted for him not to. To her utter disappointment, Gale had parked one car away, leaving him the perfect opportunity to walk with her..

"It was nice getting to know you," he said, and he kicked up a small pebble with the toe of his boot.

She gave him the same smile that she gave her customers when she wanted a good tip. They never knew the difference, and she hoped he couldn't tell either.

"You too."

They stopped in front of her car, and she dug in her small purse for her keys. She didn't notice the step closer he took, but Katniss turned at the wrong second, stunned when his lips touched the corner of her mouth.

He quickly pulled away, his eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry, I meant to get your cheek." 

"I...it's okay," she was too shocked to say anything else.

"Have a nice night, Katniss." Then he turned on his heel and retreated toward his vehicle.

Katniss stood there for a second longer than she intended to, her lips still warm from where Gale's had been moments before. They tingle slightly, though it could be from the cold outside. She kissed a boy on the mouth once before during a game of truth or dare; this time was nothing like that time. Not really, anyway. 

Gale's lips were soft, unlike the boy's chapped lips that met hers with haste so he could get out of the shoe closet, their friends put them in. It was nice; she conceded. 

The sound of Gale starting his car pulled her out of her daze, and she shook away the odd feeling she felt from being kissed for the first time. Then she unlocked her driver's door and started the engine. 

When she arrived home, it surprised her to see Haymitch's cruiser parked in the driveway. He usually worked late on Friday evenings, she thought. Katniss unlocked the front door and pushed it open. The smell of burning food hit her first, and she immediately thought Haymitch forgot he was cooking in the kitchen again. She quickly kicked her boots off and ran toward the kitchen, then she heard the soft melody of jazz.

"Haymitch?"

She peeked around the corner of the kitchen to find Haymitch slaving over a stove of steaming pots and pans. Something she's hardly seen him do in the past because neither of them had faith that he wouldn't burn the house down in an instant.

He didn't notice her at first, too lost with the pot of red sauce in front of him, then he turned around and nearly lost hold of his spoon.

"Damn it, Katniss!" He ran a hand over the faint smattering of sauce that landed on his white apron. "Why the hell didn't you say something?" Haymitch walked over to the sink and wiped himself off with a rag.

Katniss grinned. "I did. You didn't answer. Also, I didn't know you enjoyed jazz music."

"There's a lot we don't know about each other, sweetheart." He threw the rag on the counter then pulled out a beer from the fridge. "So how'd your date go with, ah, was it Gerald?"

She walked over to the stove and peered into a pot of pasta, the long strands of spaghetti covered by bubbles of boiling water. "Gale. It was good. He's nice."

"I see. And what did the boy have to say about your date?"

Her brows creased, "boy?"

Haymitch snorted and took over the pot of spaghetti to drain the noodles in a prepared colander placed in the sink. "The one that keeps my niece up late at night on weekdays." He looked over at her through the cloud of steam, a bushy eyebrow raised in amusement. Haymitch tapped the side of his nose. "I'm not as oblivious as you think, sweetheart. You forget that I wasn't always a grumpy old man." Then he looked down at the noodles in the sink, "these walls aren't thick either."

Katniss thought back to all the times she believed she was quiet as not to wake a sleeping Haymitch down the hall when in fact, she and Peeta's conversations had not fallen on deaf ears. Nothing could stop the plethora of embarrassment that washed over her.

Haymitch patted her on the shoulder as he walked by to pour the spaghetti into a bowl. She swallowed down her humiliation before nodding at the food, "so what's all of this about? If I knew you had a meal planned, I would have stayed home."

Haymitch fixed his hands flat on the countertop in front of him, "well, I might have had my own plans tonight."

The new information had her curiosity piqued. Her uncle hardly strayed away from his routine: work, watching the sports network, eating, and sleeping. Not exactly in that order. "Oh?" He scolded against her light teasing and worked to busy himself by gathering dinnerware from the cupboard. "So who gets the pleasure of enjoying Abernathy cuisine?"

He made a face. "A friend," he stated, allowing no further clarification.

Katniss nodded after a silence pursued over them. "Well, I think I'll leave you to it. I have some studying to do," she exaggerated.

Before she left the kitchen, Haymitch said, "thanks, kid." She offered him a small smile, then walked toward the stairs.

When she was in her room, she heard the old chime of their doorbell from downstairs, followed by the lively voice that could only belong to Effie. Katniss sat on her bed and dug out her headphones from her nightstand to allow Haymitch a small amount of privacy and plugged them into her laptop. She put on Netflix after she changed into pajamas and nestled further into her warm comforter.

Sometime later, Katniss checked her phone, finding one unread message from Peeta.

_'How was your date?'_

Her eyes scanned the message twice as if searching for some encrypted note in those four words. There was none. How did she expect Peeta to react? But she silently wished her date sparked a fit of jealousy within him, yet that didn’t seem to be the case.

Katniss sighed. They hadn't talked to each other more than twice in the past two weeks. Both times have been nothing more than short texts between each other. And both times Katniss had led off the conversations. A part of her felt Peeta was avoiding her, or perhaps she had too much free time on her hands. Peeta no longer had a copious amount of time as he did during the offseason.

Still, she hated these unwanted feelings, but they were persistent lately. More often than not, she wondered about Peeta. Wondering how his day was going. Curious about who his new friends are because she realized she didn't feel bothered to ask before. If his hair had always curled in seamless spirals against his forehead. Or if he still watched terrible sitcoms to fall asleep. Katniss especially wondered about the nameless blonde that held an unclear position in his everyday life.

Then Katniss wondered what her part was in Peeta’s life. She was still his best friend, right? If no longer a best friend, she knew she was at least a friend. Though she felt more like a casual pastime as of late, which was another thing that troubled her. Did she really want to hold that kind of friendship with Peeta? This was still something so foreign, so unusual. She tried, but failed miserably, to wrap her mind around the idea that she and Peeta had turned into something akin to friends with benefits. The more she thought about it, the more unclear it all became. She wanted Peeta in her life, that much she knew, but she wasn't sure what that meant yet.

All the overthinking made her head spin. Avoiding his text, she placed her phone on her nightstand and blocked off the portion of her brain that looped around Peeta.

* * *

Peeta roughly zipped up his duffel bag and threw it over his shoulder. He went to the gym to get his mind off of Katniss and his text, yet it did little to distract him. Why did he need to ask? He knew it would bother him when she didn’t answer hours after he had sent it. His mind continued to wonder what she and Gale were doing at that moment, or the rational part of him reasoned that maybe she fell asleep when she got home. It was selfish of him to think Katniss wouldn’t explore her options, especially after what he did with Bristel the other night. Either way, he remained clueless and this ate at him.

He glanced at his phone again- no messages. 

Peeta sighed and stuffed his phone into the pocket of his sweats, before trekking through the snow-covered sidewalk. He's reminded of the limbo he consistently found himself in with Katniss, his stomach twisted in a knot- to Katniss, he would be nothing more than a friend, and it pained him every time he came to the understanding. He'd give her everything, but none of that was enough to surpass the obstacle Katniss had laid out for him all these years. If anything were to happen between him and Katniss, it had to be on her terms. He felt that he had already exploited all of his options over the years. Still, he stuck around with a small glimmer of hope that she'd let him in; though, he was unsure if this made him an idiot or a good friend.

The summer before junior year, Katniss joined him and his family on a camping trip. It was the first time he had ever seen a girl naked, though it was an accident, Katniss naked in her tent featured in all of his fantasies after that. Not that she didn't before, still, those images he mustered up while he quietly jerked off in his bed at night did not compare to the real thing. Katniss was far more beautiful.

That summer, Peeta vowed to confess his feelings to Katniss, but when the opportunity arose, it didn't go as planned.

His parents were already sleeping in their tents, the loud snores from his dad scaring the wilderness away. Katniss sat next to him in one of their extra folding chairs near the campfire, a blanket loosely draped around her shoulders. Orange firelight cast a soft halo on her features; the result making her even more breathtaking.

He swallowed the bundle of nerves stuck in his throat and gripped the arms of his chair to calm himself. What he wanted to say ran like a mantra in his head, _Katniss there is something I want to tell you. I've had a crush on you for years and-_

"So I heard from Madge that Clove Daniels has a crush on you. Madge said she's nice." She peered over at him. Peeta heard the opposite about Clove Daniels; nice was not one adjective used to describe her, but talking about another girl was not where he wanted the conversation to go. 

"Yeah, " he mumbled with little interest.

Katniss shoved his shoulder. "You should ask her out!"

He was a little bewildered; Katniss never thrust girls his way. Normally it was quite the contrary. Girls hardly came around their table during lunch because Katniss had a knack for scaring them off. Peeta felt stuck and his determination from before faded along with the slowly dying fire in front of them.

"Come on Peeta, you'll be the first of us to date, someone." She chewed on her lip, "I doubt I'll be dating soon."

Katniss urged him again, and a few weeks later he asked Clove out on a date. That's what Katniss wanted. By the end of the summer, Peeta never told Katniss about his feelings for her. 

Their junior year, after Clove broke off their relationship, Peeta had subtly asked Katniss to go to prom with him. He remembered being so nervous, knowing that it was probably a stupid idea to ask.

She chewed on the end of her eraser, not looking up from her homework. “What would I even wear?”

Her answer wasn’t a no, and he had never felt so high-strung in all his life.

He set his pencil down, his palms now sweaty with anticipation. “We can find something in town at one of the dress shops.” _Or we can go to the next town over_ , he thought.

Katniss flipped the page to her notebook. “I don’t know Peeta, you know how I feel about prom. It’s so expensive, and when am I going to wear the dress again?”

"I'll take you to prom next year too."

She looked up at him then, a trace of skepticism outlining her features. "You really want to go to prom with me?"

 _With you, yes._ But he didn't say that. He should have. "Well, I had bought two tickets for Clove and me for prom. Now I don't know what to do with them." It was a lie. Peeta bought the tickets after things ended between him and Clove hoping Katniss would go with him.

A frown creased her brow, and she looked back down at her notebook. "I'll think about it."

From the look on her face, he knew that he chose the wrong words. He should have been honest about the tickets, but it was too late. Katniss never went to prom with him that year, and the two tickets sat untouched in his sock drawer.

* * *

“And this is my bathroom.”

Peeta struggled to keep his eyes on Katniss’s face as she brought him around her new apartment in nothing but a pair of small sleep shorts and a loose v-neck. Occasionally, she’d forget that she had the camera on her and she’d face it towards the tops of her breasts. He felt like such a pervert for ogling his best friend’s chest, but he couldn’t help it when she made them the only things he could see.

Her apartment was a miserable little thing where only Katniss would find the potential to turn it into a home. The walls were an array of odd colors, ranging from green to pink. Right away, it was clear the previous tenant went crazy with the discount paint from the home store. She complained about the leaky faucets and the cool draft that swept under her front door because the hallway lacked a radiator. But her grin never wavered as she moved from room to room, so he smiled too, not noting the imperfections that she had pointed out to him.

She finished the tour in her room, the size noticeably larger than her old one, but the layout was the same. Her bed sat parallel to her bedroom door; in front of the bed sat her chest of drawers, and an empty laundry basket sitting atop a small box. More boxes littered the floor, some remained closed, and others laid tipped on their side with clothes spilling out of them. He held back a laugh from the sight, the disarray of the room was unlike Katniss.

"So what do you think, " she asked as she sat on her bed, propping her phone up.

"Well, " he started, choosing his words carefully. "It has charm."

Katniss snorted and shook her head. "No sense in beating around the bush." She scowled at him, though there remained a faint hint at a smile. "You hate it."

He laughed. "I don't hate it per se, but it wouldn't have been my first choice." 

"Well, it's a good thing I'm the one living here and not you. You'd destroy the little charm left if it were up to you." She grinned at him. 

He rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks. I appreciate the amount of confidence you have in me."

"What are friends for?"

His heart sank, but he thought of something to brighten the miserable mood he suddenly found himself in. "So, are you ready for Thanksgiving break?"

She heaved a heavy sigh, "actually, no. You know what this time of year means to me."

He did. 

It was around this time of year that Katniss lost her parents and her sister Prim to a drunk driver. Katniss was at his house when it happened; Haymitch called dad asking if she could spend the night. They were so excited because her parents never allowed her to spend the night at his house. They built a fort in the living room out of cushions and blankets. After his mom told them to go to bed, Peeta in his room and Katniss on the couch, he snuck back downstairs after his parents fell asleep.

He and Katniss laid in their fort, telling each other scary stories, and munching on snacks Peeta stole from the pantry. They laughed at some funny stories Peeta told about Rye and his girlfriend. Eventually, they fell asleep with their bellies full and their cheeks sore.

The following morning was a different story.

Haymitch came to pick Katniss up from his house around ten after his mom made them pick up the mess they made in the living room. Peeta waved at her through the window next to the front door, and she beamed back at him. Later that afternoon, they found out her parent's car rolled into the ditch off the highway on their way to pick Katniss up from his house. All three passengers passed away on impact.

Her family's funeral was the first time Peeta saw Katniss cry. They invited his family to the service, along with friends of the Everdeen family. Haymitch was the only family member Katniss had left, her mother's only sibling and older brother. Her father didn't have siblings and his parents passed long before Katniss was born. Her mom's parents abandoned her and Haymitch when he was twenty, her mom was fifteen. All five of them were a tight-knit family.

Peeta sometimes wondered if this swayed Katniss's decision to stay in Panem with the only family she had left. But he told her countless times that his family might as well be hers too.

"Right, I'm sorry."

Katniss shrugged. "It's okay. But you're still coming home, right?"

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. That, he didn't know. He had picked up a part-time job at a coffee shop near campus for extra money. He felt guilty as Effie deposited money in his account often because she feared he'd starve if she didn't. He insisted that he was fine, but talking to his aunt was like talking to a wall sometimes. 

"Well, I work at a place called With Room Coffee, it’s a coffee shop near campus. So it depends if I can get the days around Thanksgiving off."

Katniss blinked. "You work at a coffee shop? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

He laughed. "I just did, and it's only been for a few weeks. Hockey and school have taken up the majority of my schedule, so I can only manage to work part-time."

She let out a breathy laugh and shook her head. "You know, I can't imagine you working."

"You realize I worked at my parent’s bakery all of high school."

Katniss waved him off. "Yeah, but were you actually paid with anything other than hockey equipment?"

Peeta leaned back against the wall, chuckling. "Hey, I don't remember you working in high school."

Blushing, Katniss looked down at her short nails brought on from her bad habit of chewing them. "Yeah, yeah. Well, I hope you can make it."

At her words, his stomach swooped. Did she mean them? He let out a deep breath, "hopefully."

* * *

Thanksgiving break rushed around the corner, and as he suspected, he didn't get the time off. He relayed the unfortunate news to his family, and they were understanding, except Effie. Her voice only grew to high octaves when she grew upset, his ears rang for days after his phone call with her. Katniss was the first person he told, and she handled it rather well when he gave her the bad news. If anything, she seemed overjoyed from the news, leaving him feeling utterly confused. Things with Katniss were always confusing for him.

The day before Thanksgiving, Peeta was busy wiping down the counters near the register, his mind preoccupied with Katniss. Work was slow judging everyone was presumably home planning for Thanksgiving tomorrow. He heard the small bell ring above the front door as he bent down to put the rag away in the lower cupboard on the opposite wall. 

Peeta didn’t look up from the counter as he said, “welcome, what can I get you?”

“Do you have tea?”

His head shot up at the familiar voice, a horrible idea, and he smacked his head on the underside of the counter. 

“Shit,” he cursed and rubbed the tender spot with his fingers.

“Peeta? Are you okay?”

He carefully stood up this time and turned around to notice Katniss standing on the other side of the counter, her olive skin red from the cold outside. Her dad’s old hunting jacket swaddled her small frame, and her hair wasn’t in its usual braid against her head. Instead, it sat in waves about her shoulders while the top remained hidden under a cream knit cap. Peeta loved it when she wore her hair down. Any annoyance he felt toward her dissipated as she supplied him with a soft smile, and he felt his heart palpitate from the sight.

Peeta was a sucker.

“I’m sorry about your head. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Peeta avoided shaking his head, knowing it would do nothing more than provide him with a headache. He couldn’t believe Katniss stood in front of him unless he really hit his head that hard. But he blinked a few times, and each time, it was still Katniss that bit her lip nervously from the other side of the counter.

“What-How?” He couldn’t form a proper sentence, his mind racing in time with his heart. 

She released her lip and his eyes followed as it turned a fleshy pink where her teeth had been. “Oh, um, Haymitch and I found cheap tickets online that night you told me you couldn’t make it home.”

“That was only four days ago,” he said in disbelief.

Katniss shrugged. “Well, now I’m here."

"I can't believe you left the comfort of Panem," he laughed.

She leaned her hip against the counter. "I guess I wanted to try something new. I think the last time I traveled was for that school trip to the Capitol." Then she gave a breathy laugh. "Wow, that sounded really lame coming out of my mouth. Anyway, If you want to get rid of me, you'll have to wait until Friday. Plus, I thought this would be my chance to see an actual city."

Peeta pulled a mug off the rack and filled it with hot water. Earl grey with a little cream, that's how Katniss liked it. He handed her the mug, "how did you get here?"

"A cab," she took a cautious sip of the hot tea. "How else would I get here?"

He chuckled, placing his palms on the counter in front of him. "Well, I'm glad you're here."

Peeta attempted to prevent the goofy smile from stretching across his face, but he failed and couldn't wait for his shift to end. 

* * *

After Peeta's shift, he took Katniss on a tour of Minneapolis. He noted how Katniss didn’t care for the busy streets and sidewalks, her nose scrunched in distaste. She stuck close to his side as he brought her to a few shops downtown; he didn’t want to keep her out for long because the backpack she carried held everything she brought with her. But he was excited to share the part of his day she didn't get to see in their video chats. He brought her to places that he, Finnick, and Annie normally hung out, including a small antique store where Annie liked to find odd knick-knacks.

“I didn’t ping you for someone who’d hang out in an antique store,” Katniss told him as she observed a snow globe. The inside had a beach and a couple walking along the shoreline.

Peeta plucked it off the shelf and shook it, and they watched the white particles float around through the domed glass. “That’s what happens when you’re a third wheel, I guess. Or maybe I need to make more friends.” 

Katniss playfully poked his side. “As if you’ve had any trouble making friends.”

He laughed and put the globe back on the shelf. “If you say so.”

"You're telling me girls haven't been throwing themselves at you?"

Suddenly, he recalled his night with Bristel, and he anxiously ran a hand through his hair, messing up the curls on his head. "Ah, no," Peeta lied, and he cringed inwardly. But he didn't want to ruin the good time he's having with Katniss, to talk about who he had messed around with.

Katniss watched him carefully from the corner of her eye, and he worried she'd call him out for not being honest. Peeta held his breath, and he waited for her to say something. She grabbed another snow globe off the shelf that had mountains and a hunter standing on one of them.

"I think I'm going to get this for Haymitch," then she walked out of the aisle toward the check-out counter, leaving Peeta feeling more than a little guilty.

After the antique shop, they stop at his favorite takeout restaurant and order two hoagies before they head back to his dorm.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here," she asked when he unlocked the door to his and Finnick's room.

Peeta pushed the door open, allowing Katniss to walk in first. "Annie does it all the time, I don't see why not?"

"But she's a student here. Really, I can get a hotel…" she trailed off and bit her lip.

"It's fine, I promise." He worried if he said anything else, Katniss would leave. "I can sleep on Finnick's bed and you can have mine." He was glad that they recently did laundry because he knew what went on in Finnick's bed. 

That seemed to qualm whatever other anxieties she had, and she set her backpack down on the floor. "Okay."

She looked around the small room, which was clean, for once, compared to its typical sloppy state. He made his bed, a rare sight these days, and his training clothes were clean and put away in his drawer. Finnick also picked up his stacked pizza boxes that sat on their shared nightstand for three weeks. Of course, their room wouldn't have looked this way if Annie didn't trip over one of Finnick's books he left on the floor. 

"It's cleaner than I thought it'd be," Katniss finally said, pulling her hat off her head. The outcome left her hair a little frizzy, though, when she shook her hair out, Peeta caught the familiar scent of her shampoo that was so...Katniss. Coconuts and something earthy.

Peeta toed off his sneakers and set them over by his bed. “Yeah, well, you have my roommate’s girlfriend to thank for that. I’m convinced that she’s only dating him for his charm and good looks at this point.” This made Katniss laugh, sparking a flutter in his chest.

He put a movie on his laptop, then set it between them so they could both see the screen. Katniss took off her jacket and boots, setting them near the foot of the bed. Peeta nearly choked on the piece of bread he was chewing when he saw the tight, white turtleneck that she wore. It clung to all the right places, making his eyes all too aware of the outline of her breasts that pushed against her top.

Fuck. He flushed and forced himself to look away, trying his best to focus on the movie he put on. But his dick perked up, and he adjusted the sandwich wrapper in his lap to hide his excitement.

How was he going to manage the next two days if he got worked up seeing her with clothes on?

Katniss pulled her sandwich out of the paper bag. "So, what are we watching?"

"Oh, uh…" What were they watching? "National Lampoon's," he remembered. 

She nodded thoughtfully, "I can't believe you still watch this for Thanksgiving." Then she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Family tradition, I guess."

They sat in silence, eating their sandwiches and watching Clark Griswald make a mess of his home. Slowly, he felt himself relax, reminding himself that he and Katniss used to do this every weekend at either of their houses. But there was something entirely different from seeing Katniss on a small screen and physically being in the same space as her. It was consuming.

Katniss moved from the bed when she finished with her sandwich and searched through her backpack on the floor.

"Shit," she said, moving around some contents in the bag.

"What's wrong?"

She huffed and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and looked up at him. "I forgot to grab my pajamas."

"Oh." His mind flitted to an image of Katniss laying in his bed in nothing but her underclothes; he tried to shake the thought now that he no longer had the protection of his sandwich paper to cover his crotch. Peeta cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... you can borrow a pair of mine."

Katniss worried her bottom lip. "Are you sure?"

Instead of answering he stood up and pulled open the drawer under his bed that held his sweats and t-shirts. He handed her the smallest pair he could find. "Here. They might be a little big, but it's all I have that would fit you."

She took them from him. "I... thank you."

He shrugged. "No problem. The bathroom is right over there."

She nodded and collected a few items from her bag before bee-lining it toward the bathroom. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as the door latched closed.

* * *

Katniss studied her reflection in the small bathroom mirror, her cheeks were flushed and her hair appeared chaotic atop her head. She splashed cool water on her face and tried to tame her hair with her fingers, wincing as they caught in a few knots. This was only a ploy to buy her some alone time. She feared Peeta had heard her pounding heart from the other side of the bed or noticed that she wasn't paying attention to the movie he picked out. 

Initially, she didn't think she would go through with flying to Minneapolis to see Peeta. She feared what would happen when she arrived, but she knew Peeta wouldn’t turn her away. After her accidental kiss with Gale, she realized she felt terrible like she cheated Peeta. Even though dating was her idea. But she convinced herself the reason that she felt bad was for Gale being a friend of Peeta's. Nothing more.

So, to make it up to him, she did something brash and bought a round-trip ticket. Thankfully, Haymitch helped her find something cheap because she felt sick after seeing how expensive flights were.

When Katniss saw Peeta through the window at the coffee shop, she hesitated going inside, wondering if she should call him instead. But she swallowed her nerves when he turned his back and pushed through the tall door. He appeared surprised at first, but the smile he gave her washed away any uneasiness she had felt about coming. And she realized she missed being around him, without the nuisances of figuring out Skype.

With one final look at herself in the mirror, she pulled open the bathroom door and stepped back into the room. Peeta looked up from the laptop at the sound of her closing the door, and he chuckled at the sight of her in his baggy clothes. 

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms defensively over her chest. "Yeah, yeah, get it out. I look ridiculous."

His laughter died down and he gave her a genuine smile, his mouth quirking up in the corner slightly. "It's a good thing that they're only pajamas."

Katniss sat on the bed, tightening the drawstrings around her waist. "I suppose you're right. It'd be embarrassing for everyone if I lost my pants in public."

His eyes widened slightly at her comment. "I, uh, I really doubt that."

She tried to ignore the way her stomach seemed to turn inside itself at his words. But she already felt the fresh wave of heat rise to her cheeks, and she cleared her throat to steal herself. "So…" she trailed off. Her effort to adjust the mood faltered.

Peeta stood up from the bed. "I'm going to take a shower, you can find something to watch if you'd like." Peeta reached into the drawer by her leg where he grabbed her pajamas and pulled out a pair for himself.

Goosebumps spread across her body when she felt his warm breath hit her cold ankle, then he stood up and walked towards the bathroom.

"Okay," she said before he closed the door. 

A few seconds later, Katniss heard him turn on the shower. She took a steadying breath and moved to turn off the light then crawled under the covers to Peeta's bed. But Katniss didn’t feel tired. Even after all the walking she and Peeta did this afternoon, sleep felt far away.

She could hear Peeta moving around in the bathroom, and she held her breath every time she thought he'd open the door. Why was she so nervous? It's not like they haven't slept in the same room before. Though, she guessed that was different because they were kids. She urged herself to reason that this did not differ from those times, she could be an adult about this.

Minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened and Peeta walked out. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness by that point, and she could make out that Peeta wasn't wearing a shirt. _Oh god_.

"Katniss?"

She gulped. "Yeah."

"Why are you sitting in the dark?"

He came over to the bed, still shirtless, and turned the laptop on that had fallen asleep. "Oh, um, I didn't know what I wanted to watch." This wasn't entirely a lie.

"Do you just want to go to bed?" he asked.

She feigned a yawn. "Uh, yeah. I think all of that walking tired me out." Though she knew she likely wouldn't fall asleep anytime soon.

"Oh, all right." He walked over to Finnick's bed, still no shirt, and pulled back the blanket. "Goodnight," he told her.

"Goodnight."

They laid there, quiet, nothing but the sound of their breathing filling the room. It was hot in that small dorm, or maybe it was the fact that Katniss never wore pants when she went to bed. She waited until she heard Peeta's breathing even out, then she pushed the heavy sweats down her legs and kicked them to the foot of the bed. Much better.

She turned on her side to face Peeta, but when she looked at him, she noticed he hadn't fallen asleep at all. Instead, he was staring at the ceiling with his arms folded under his head. 

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"No," she sighed. "I guess not. You?"

Then Peeta rolled to face her. "I think I'm just adjusting to Finnick's bed."

“Oh.” Katniss bit the inside of her cheek, feeling guilty for taking over his bed. “We can trade,” she offered feebly.

He laughed. “I don’t think you’d sleep here if you knew what went on in this bed.”

“Oh,” she said again. “Why are you sleeping in it?”

“Because I’m not grossed out by it, I guess.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What are you trying to say?”

“Do you really want to sleep in his bed?” he asked incredulously.

She wavered what she was about to do next, but decided not to think too much of it. Katniss pushed off the bed and walked over to where Peeta looked up at her in a mix of confusion and alarm. Unsure what compelled her to do it, she pulled open the blanket and slid into the covers, right next to a still shirtless Peeta. All the reasons not to do what she just did, come flooding in, but it was already too late. There was no going back to the safety of Peeta’s bed.

The heat rolling off of him, radiated through her body, making her warm for a whole separate reason.

He looked remorseful and shook his head. “You didn’t have to do that. I was only kidding, you know.”

She let out a nervous laugh. “I know.”

Katniss heard him swallow. “Will Gale-” She cut him off before he could finish.

“It was one date.”

“Oh,” he said quietly. “I guess, well, I thought you two-”

“Hit it off?” She stared up at the ceiling. “Er, no. I mean, he kissed me. But it was an accident.” She bit her lip, it felt good to get that off of her chest.

He turned toward her, then. “An accident?”

“Yeah, um, he meant to kiss my cheek but missed. Or, I don’t know, I turned at the wrong moment.” She was embarrassed admitting this to Peeta who had probably kissed a ton of girls without batting an eye. Her hand came up to play with her braid, but she realized that her hair was down. “Only my first kiss would be an accident,” she said wryly.

“You know,” Peeta said after a pause. “I always thought our first kiss would be with each other.”

Katniss looked over at him, his honesty silencing her momentarily. “You want to kiss me?”

His eyes rounded. “Well, I-,” he stammered. “I mean don’t you think we started this backwards?”

She fully turned to face him, while the sirens in her head told her to retreat. “Do you want to kiss me?” she asked again, nervous of his answer.

“Yes,” he breathed. Her breath felt scarce as he leaned in closer, her eyes closing on instinct when she felt his damp breath on her lips. “Are you sure about this?”

Without answering, she closed the gap between them, finally bringing his lips to hers. They were a little chapped from the cold but still soft. The kiss was fleeting and they pulled apart to look at each other. They were too close for her to make out the expression on his face, but she caught him licking his bottom lip- an invitation.

This time Peeta moved first, capturing her lips again with a little more urgency. His left hand came up to cup her cheek, the callous pad tracing her skin in gentle circles. She felt his tongue run along her bottom lip, and she hummed before opening her mouth to him, fusing their mouths closer together. It made her dizzy. Her hand gripped the sheet underneath them to steady herself as his tongue explored every crevice of her mouth.

This kiss was greedy, a secret fire hidden behind it that consumed them. Burning her to the very core.

Feeling completely uncoordinated, Katniss accidentally nipped Peeta’s upper lip, earning her a soft groan. She pulled away to see if she hurt him, but before she could get far, he pulled at her bottom lip with his teeth, sending a shiver though her. Blood rushed in her ears and pulsed between her thighs.

She tried to shift against the mattress, striving to relieve some of the ache that was steadily building up against her clit. But Peeta's hand moved down from her face to grab her hip, halting her movements, and he pulled away this time. Both of them were panting. “Are you not wearing pants?”

Katniss blushed, she forgot she took them off. “It was hot,” she mumbled.

A switch seemed to flick on in Peeta, reminding her of that night in her room. And he leaned forward, practically devouring her mouth with the intensity of his kisses. She was hyperaware of his fingers carding out against her side, only his pinky touching the exposed part of her thigh. It could have been his entire hand touching her thigh, for every nerve in that area came to life. She released a whimper when he pulled away, craving the movement of his mouth against hers.

“Do you- do you want to stop,” he asked, his voice deeper than it was a few minutes ago. 

She blinked up at him through her lashes, panting, lips feeling thoroughly kissed. “No.”

This was all the confirmation Peeta needed and his mouth pressed into hers again, his tongue immediately seeking hers. She felt his hand on her hip moving lower, pushing the bottom of the shirt out of the way until there was nothing stopping him from exploring the bare expanse of her thigh. He moved his hand further down still until it was behind her knee and he pulled it over his hip. The new position brought their lower halves together, and she moaned when his hardness pushed against the front of her underwear, rubbing just right to create friction. But it wasn't enough to appease the release that she eagerly craved. Katniss couldn’t help herself when her hips moved of their own accord, eliciting another groan from her and Peeta.

Before she knew what was happening, Peeta rolled her onto her back and nestled between her parted thighs, his hardness now pressing firmly against her. She ran her hands up his chest until they planted on Peeta’s broad shoulders, squeezing encouragingly. His hands slowly pushed up the t-shirt she wore, and she sat up to help him pull the shirt over her head. When it was tossed to the floor, Katniss instinctively moved to cover her breasts, fully aware of their smallness. Though, Peeta grabbed her wrists and held them at her sides, leaning back slightly to look at her. She felt herself flush from his piercing gaze.

“Don’t,” he licked his lips, his eyes never pulling away from her heaving breasts. “They’re perfect.” Then he bent down to kiss the top of one achy breast, her breath caught in her throat. He looked up at her, and Katniss saw nothing but fat pupils as Peeta’s eyes caught the light pouring through the window. “Can I?”

She nodded eagerly, knowing what he was asking, but unsure she’d form a coherent sentence by that point. He dipped his head down again, showering the top of her other breast with kisses. What he did next startled her at first, yet it made her head spin and she arched against his mouth. Peeta caught her nipple between his teeth and sucked on the puckered bud, the suction sending a jolt between her legs. She moaned and threw her head back, arching further into his mouth. If she wasn't so lost with lust, she'd probably worry about her spine breaking in two, or the embarrassing noises leaving her mouth. He did the same thing to her other nipple, and she thought she might pass out from how fast she was panting.

Peeta thoroughly explored her breasts before he started moving lower down her body. Her eyes shot open, staring at him wildly as she realized where he was going, and that he'd soon discover the dampness between her thighs. She worried her bottom lip as she watched Peeta, suddenly embarrassed.

He stopped at her navel and placed a kiss right above her belly button to distract her as his hands came up to rest on the waistband of her underwear, his long fingers inching under the elastic. God, how many times she's dreamt of this very moment. Slowly, he pulled them down, and she lifted her hips to help him. Katniss leaned back against the pillow so she couldn’t see his face, unable to remember if she shaved down there recently.

He peeled them off her legs, and Katniss heard her underwear hit the floor as he threw them. The soft flutter echoing in the sudden stillness of the room. “Fuck,” he finally groaned.

Katniss peered down at him and Peeta had his eyes glued to the apex of her thighs. Her embarrassment slowly ebbed away, but she still felt self-conscious and threw an arm over her face to hide from his scrutiny. Then she felt the tip of his finger touch her _there,_ running against her folds; she nearly jolted off the bed from how unfamiliar it felt compared to her own fingers.

“So wet,” he mumbled. When he pulled away, Katniss didn’t realize how badly she wanted him to return to that spot. But she doesn't voice this, because she couldn’t imagine the words coming out of her mouth. “Uh, do you wanna- I- do you want to show me what to do?”

Katniss removed her arm from her face as Peeta came back to lay next to her, his hand resting low on her stomach. “O-okay.”

She took a shaky breath, before tentatively grabbing his hand to bring it back down to where she wanted him the most. His hand was hot in hers, the intimacy somehow exciting her more. They both groaned from anticipation when his fingers touched the small wet thatch of hair on her pubic bone. Though she didn't stop there, finally revealing to him the sensitive little bundle of nerves throbbing for attention. Her stomach swooped when Peeta took it upon himself to experimentally circle it with his finger.

It felt different having someone else’s fingers bring her pleasure other than her own. Peeta explored her folds, taking his time to figure out what made her call out to the darkness of the room, or what made her sigh. He grew more emboldended by the noises she was making, moving his fingers down to touch her opening. All noises seemed to catch in her throat with a choked gasp. Peeta recoiled and removed his fingers, glancing down at her with concern etched on his face. But Katniss didn’t want him to talk, fearing it might break the trance she found herself in. So, she grabbed his hand and brought it back to her opening, squeezing his hand to let him know it was fine to continue.

She needed him to continue, or she's sure she'd explode.

This time he circled his thumb against her clit, causing his name to fall from her lips before he gently pressed his middle finger into her. Katniss gasped as she felt her walls adjust to his thick digit. He pulled it out before pushing it back in, slowly finding a rhythm, her hips moving in time with the pumping of his finger. Peeta bent down to nip her ear, drawing out a heady moan from her. She felt the ball of pleasure coiling in the pit of her stomach, already worked up from months of pent up sexual tension. Then Peeta added a second digit to the first and her eyes snapped shut at the sudden stretch. Her muscles clamped down on Peeta’s fingers after a few thrusts, and her mouth opened in a silent moan as she felt her orgasm pull through her. Little black dots scattered behind her closed lids.

She rode out her orgasm against his hand, desperately gulping for air.

When she calmed down, Peeta removed his fingers and wiped them on his pants. “Wow,” he said, “that was hot.”

Katniss giggled breathlessly, delirious from the high she was in. But she didn’t feel entirely sated, she wanted more. She wound her fingers in the long hair at the back of Peeta’s neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. Peeta let out a surprised grunt.

After that orgasm, Katniss felt bold and allowed her hands to explore every inch of Peeta that she could reach. She brushed her hand against his erection and felt it twitch against her fingers. Peeta broke the kiss to drop his head to her shoulder, another groan rumbling out of his chest. Katniss grabbed him through his sweats and softly squeezed, but Peeta quickly rested his hand on hers, stopping her movements.

“If you do that,” he panted, “I won’t last long.”

 _Oh._ Katniss reached for the waistband of his sweats, and Peeta helped her tug them down until they were both laying on the bed naked. She couldn’t keep her eyes from glancing down at his erection, the tip swelled and bounced against his stomach. Peeta rolled over and nestled back between her legs again, kissing her shoulder blade. That’s when she felt her nerves rear their annoying head again. He reached into the nightstand, digging around until he retrieved a small foil packet. Sitting back on his knees, he ripped open the package, her eyes glued to where he rolled on the condom, entranced by how big he was.

Once the condom was on, he situated himself between her legs, the tip of his erection brushing against her opening. He glanced up at her, a small amount of hesitancy etched onto his face. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Why does he keep asking, she thought, slightly annoyed. She took a deep breath and nodded her head. Peeta smiled down at her and gently pressed his lips to hers, plying them open with soft nips. Katniss felt him position himself at her opening and immediately tensed again.

“Relax,” he soothed, even though his voice sounded just as tense.

She nodded again, trying to follow Peeta’s instructions. Slowly, he pressed into her, and Peeta bent down to pull one of her nipples into his mouth in order to distract her. She arched against him, one of her hands coming up to tangle in his curly hair. He continued pushing forward until he reached her virgin wall, she winced; his distraction wasn’t working. But then he pulled out, leaving only the tip before pushing back in. After a few shallow thrusts, Katniss felt herself start to relax, and her discomfort slowly turned into pleasure.

Peeta brought one of his hands down between them, and Katniss gasped as his fingers brushed against her sensitive clit, her walls gripping him firmly. He grunted and his head fell onto her chest. “Fuck.”

He continued this pattern, barely pushing into her and rubbing her lazily. She felt another orgasm licking her spine, then Peeta pushed forward, filling her completely. She whimpered as he broke through her barrier, her walls adjusting to being stretched completely. He panted into her chest, and Katniss felt the sweat from his forehead soak into her skin.

He began to move again as the pain ebbed, and the coiling came back. Another gasp tore from her as Peeta picked up his pace, his hips fiercely colliding against hers.

“Shit,” he moaned. “I’m gonna come,” he warned. Peeta moved his fingers faster against her clit, eliciting a loud moan from her. She nodded frantically, trying to find her second release. With a few sharp thrusts, Katniss came. Her walls fluttered around him, pulling him further into her heat. Peeta followed shortly after, a groan rumbling in his chest, then he slumped forward, his hips slowly pumping into her two more times.

They laid there for a moment, basking in the glow of their release. Then Peeta slowly pulled out of her, she winced from the strangely hollow feeling she felt afterward. He rolled off of her, as not to squish her, and disposed of the condom in a waste bin near the bed. Then he came back and laid next to her, throwing his arm across her waist. The sweat on her body started to cool, and Katniss reached for the blanket to cover them.

Peeta pulled her into his chest, and Katniss closed her eyes, thinking about what they just did. She just had sex with Peeta, and couldn’t believe it.

He sighed behind her, his breath sending goosebumps over her neck. “Finnick is going to kill me for having sex in his bed.” His voice was thick and Katniss knew he would fall asleep any second.

Katniss laughed softly. “Well, he never needs to know.”

He released a chuckle and tightened his arm around her. Within a few minutes, his breathing fell into deep regular patterns, and Katniss closed her eyes too, allowing sleep to take her.

* * *

Peeta felt like he was on cloud nine for the next two days. He slept with the girl of his dreams. There was this new energy that surrounded them, and he couldn’t get enough. Every available opportunity, Peeta had his hands on her. Whether it was combing through her loose dark tresses at night, or holding her up against the tile wall in the shower as they slowly fucked under the spray of the water. There were years of pent up sexual frustration to work out, and he only had a few days. 

Eventually, they needed fresh air and Peeta took her out to explore more of downtown. They ate at a cafe open for Thanksgiving, and he brought her to Boom Island Park that overlooked the river. He’d never felt happier in his life. But the problem with going up is you eventually come down.

Friday was Katniss's last day, and they tried to use as much of their time together before Katniss left to catch her flight. She excused herself from his room after they got dressed that morning when she received a call from work. He pointed out the empty common room down the hall. She gave him a shy smile before she nodded and promptly answered her phone.

Peeta picked up their mess from the last two days and straightened the room. He was fixing his bed when he heard a knock at the door. At first, he thought Katniss might have forgotten the key, and he walked over to the door to unlock it for her. But when he opened it, Katniss wasn't the one that stood on the other side.

He was a little taken back to find Bristel standing in front of him, her arms folded across her chest. "Bristel. Hey." He's undecided of what else to say, surprised, and a little uncomfortable that the woman he slept with, stood in front of him while Katniss was a few feet down the hall. She shifted from one foot to the other and smoothed her hands over the thighs of her jeans. "Er, if you're looking for Annie, she and Fin-"

"Oh, um no, I'm not looking for Annie. I actually came by to see you." She looked down at her feet. 

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck, “listen, now is not a-”

Her eyes snapped up to his. “I don’t normally do this. Annie told me you didn’t go home for Thanksgiving and thought you’d be lonely.”

“Annie said that?” Annie would surely hear about this later.

"I was just coming over to check on you, don't get any ideas blondie."

"Oh," he drew out. "Thank you, I guess?"

She snorted. "How did I ever sleep with you?"

"What?"

Peeta froze. Behind Bristel, Katniss clutched her phone to her chest, her eyes glued to Bristel's back.

"Katniss-" he started, but she cut him off.

"You slept with her," she asked softly, though he wasn't sure if it was really a question. His brain scrambled for an explanation. "Forget it," she snapped when he didn't answer fast enough and she stormed past him and Bristel to grab her things.

Bristel stood awkwardly in the hallway as Peeta left to follow Katniss into his dorm, the door closing in Bristel's face.

"Katniss, wait," he swallowed hard. She ignored him and carelessly stuffed items into her backpack. He reached for her as she brushed past him toward the door, but she shrugged him off. Peeta ran a hand through his hair. "Katniss what you heard… I'm sorry, I was going to tell you. I swear!"

She whirled around to face him, her eyes narrowed and cold. "When? After you've had your fill with me? Were you going to sleep with her after I left? Was that your plan," she demanded.

He released a frustrated breath. "What? No! I didn't know that she knew where I lived."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Do you expect me to believe that," she seethed. "Why did you lie to me the other day when I asked if you were seeing anyone?"

"I didn't. I'm not seeing anyone," he said carefully.

"But you're sleeping with her?"

"No!" He roughly ran a hand through his hair. "It happened once. That night when you were with Gale. We were drunk, and it just… happened."

Katniss snorted. “You’re an awful liar Peeta.” And she turned to leave the room.

“I’ve wanted you for years, Katniss,” he blurted and she stopped at the door, her hand frozen on the handle. “Fuck,” he ran a hand through his hair. “That day you told me about Clove, I was going to tell you. I’ve had a crush on you since you threw that damn pin at my head.” She said nothing, so he used that as a chance to continue. “I-I love you, Katniss.” Her back stiffened.

He felt sick to his stomach when the silence persisted.

“What did you say,” she whispered. 

Peeta licked his dry lips. “I love you Katniss, and I should have told you how I felt a long time ago.” Katniss was quiet, her head tilted downward. “Say something, please.”

She took a shaky breath. “I need to go, Peeta. I have a flight to catch.”

Then he watched helplessly as Katniss opened the door to his room and closed it softly behind her. He didn’t chase after her this time.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Thank you for reading:)


	5. Epilogue

When Annie came back from Thanksgiving break, she immediately pried for details, dragging him to the coffee shop near his dorm. Grudgingly, Peeta told her about Katniss, reminding himself that it wasn't her fault. However, he couldn't keep the irritation from his voice when he mentioned Bristel.

"Shit, Peeta, if I've known that Katniss was there... I'm so sorry," Annie apologized, wrapping her hands around her tall mug.

Peeta sighed, roughly running a hand through his hair. "Don't apologize, it's not your fault."

She frowned some. "But-"

"Really, I don't deserve it," he interjected. "I should have been open to Katniss about that night, and...well, everything else I've never told her." He scrubbed a hand across his face, feeling on edge from the number of sleepless nights his body had endured over the past week. "She won't even talk to me." His hands itched to run through his hair again, so he busied them with his forgotten cup of coffee.

"Everybody makes mistakes," Annie reasoned. "She'll come around. Haven't you two been friends forever?"

He made a face. "I don't think the length of my and Katniss's friendship gives me the safe ground you think I have. She-"

"Hates your guts and wishes to dispel you from the planet." Annie rolled her eyes. "You told me."

"I didn't say it like that," he said drily, and she shrugged.

"So, what are you leaving out, Mellark?"

His thoughts flitted back to Katniss, her back toward him as he finally confessed his feelings to her, only to watch her walk away moments after. It brought back the sour stirring in his gut. "Well, uh, I told her I love her."

Annie made a noise of disbelief. "I'm sure that didn't go as suspected." He scowled at the redhead, but she ignored him, shaking her head. "Peeta, please know that I'm telling you this as a friend, but you're an idiot. And you have horrible timing... very horrible timing."

"I thought you would give me advice, not rub it in my face over how much I've messed everything up," he grumbled.

She laughed, reaching across the table to pat his arm. "Yes, and I must also make sure you know you messed up."

Peeta scoffed. "Thanks."

Annie brought her hand back to her cup. "Anyway, surely you've done a lot of stupid things that she's forgiven you for. Just... give her time."

And he did.

Days passed as he anxiously waited to hear from Katniss. Eventually, days slowly turned into weeks, and not knowing whether she'll talk to him again, consumed him.

A few times, he contemplated showing up on her doorstep, begging for forgiveness. But he'd most likely end up with a door to the face, or caught in an uncomfortable conversation with Haymitch. Though, if he's honest, he'd rather suffer a bruised ego than end up in the same room as her uncle. Especially not now. Peeta knew that he put himself back on Haymitch's _'shit list'_ as the old deputy once put it.

So, he listened to Annie for once and did nothing. Yet, he couldn't stop the feeling of anticipation that bubbled in his throat when he'd hear his phone vibrate. It was rapidly replaced with disappointment, though, when he discovered messages from family or friends... and the daily emails about last-minute Christmas deals.

Sometimes, late at night after practice, he'd do stupid things, like scroll through texts until his thumb hovered over Katniss's name- it taunted him. But after staring at his screen for a few minutes, he'd shake his head and lock his phone, placing it back on the nightstand. It was those nights he'd roll out of bed, limbs protesting, then he'd throw on some sweats and walk to the library.

Thankfully, he had finals to keep him mostly preoccupied, allowing him temporary relief from his intrusive thoughts. He'd get lost in the sound of his pen scratching against his notebook until he was too tired to think of anything other than his head hitting his pillow.

He rarely dreamed when he worked himself into fatigue, except one night, smooth olive skin flashed behind closed eyelids. He could almost smell the coconut scent of her soap. Then his alarm clock shattered the images in front of him, blaring loudly in the background. Peeta scrambled desperately to grasp onto the dream before he had no other choice than to reach over and silence his phone. He woke up to an uncomfortable tent in his boxers, feeling momentarily grateful Finnick spent the night at Annie's, as he pulled himself out of his underwear to find release.

Guilt kicked in when he hopped in the shower to clean up afterward, for reasons he couldn't quite explain. It felt wrong to jerk off to fantasies of Katniss when she wanted nothing to do with him.

Peeta sighed, turned off the water, and got ready for the day.

* * *

He went home for Christmas break, feeling less excited about the three-week vacation than he did a month ago. That morning, Annie and Finnick dropped him off at the airport, and before he left the car, she presented Peeta with her long, well-rehearsed speech. The same one he's heard for three weeks. By this point, he's sure he could recite it word for word.

"Remember, keep it in your pants," Annie yelled out the car window. Peeta ducked his head when an elderly couple leaving the airport observed them warily before he glared at the redhead. She smirked and waved at him as their car pulled away from the drop-off zone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Panem Airport..."

Peeta startled awake as the flight attendant made her last announcement over the intercom. His ears were sore from not consistently relieving the pressure, and he yawned, hoping it would remove the plugged feeling. He massaged his neck and stretched out his legs from being cramped for too long. The woman sitting next to him shot him a glare when he accidentally bumped her with his elbow for what must have been the tenth time. He apologized... again, though he's sure it lost its meaning by now from the scowl she gave him.

He turned to look out the window, marveling at the mountains that nestled around Panem. It was beautiful from this high in the air, but it would never compare to how breathtaking they were when you stood next to them.

"... Thank you, passengers, and enjoy your stay. Happy holidays!"

The seatbelt light turned off as they came up to one of the four terminals in Panem's small airport. Peeta waited for the woman next to him to pack her small computer and leave before he reached up and grabbed his carry-on. He walked through the terminal, comprising five stores and pop-up shops before making it to the airport entrance. Instantly, he recognized aunt Effie's familiar cotton candy pink hair.

"Oh my, is that my nephew," she trilled loudly when she spotted him. "My boy, you've changed so much! I hardly recognize you."

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, I'm still Peeta."

Effie pulled him into a hug when he stood in front of her. "Oh, I swore I wouldn't cry, but it's been so long." She pulled back, and he regarded her watery eyes. "I wish Christmas break was longer than a few weeks."

Peeta chuckled, pulling his only luggage higher on his shoulder. "I'd be stuck at home for the rest of my life if it were up to you."

"I suppose you're right," she huffed as she looped her arm through his, and led them out of the airport.

On the drive to his parent's house, Effie talked his ear off about the minor changes in Panem that only his aunt would deem worthwhile. She noted some new businesses and events bringing traction to the small community as if Panem could handle a tourist influx.

As they drove by Haymitch's house, Katniss became the next topic Effie wanted to delve in, and his ears seemed to perk up; the change in subject grabbing his full attention.

"Did you hear the splendid news about Katniss? She told Haymitch that she was accepted at a college upstate. The girl has finally found her calling," she exclaimed rather loudly for the compact space, then she waved a hand in the air. "Oh, I'm sure you already know that! You must be so excited?" He tried to keep the surprise from his face as he took in the new bit of information, unable to recall Katniss ever hinting at transferring... Or leaving Panem.

Peeta mulled over this until he realized he hadn't answered Effie, as the car fell uncharacteristically quiet. "Uh, yeah, it's great," he stammered, hoping his aunt wouldn't question his delayed response.

Fortunately, Effie had already changed the subject, seeming enthusiastic to know more about his hockey season. He silently welcomed the distraction, unsure if he could trust himself to stay on the topic Katniss without appearing like he was prying. Plus, he knew Effie would catch on- if she hadn't already.

This was going to be a long break.

* * *

The following day, he woke up early to help his dad out at the bakery. They were short a few employees from the holiday, but Peeta didn't mind. He missed the feeling of dough in his hands... that is after he got over how early he needed to be at the bakery.

Bleary-eyed, and not entirely awake, he followed his dad into the kitchen, another yawn ripping through him.

His dad yawned in response, and he cast Peeta an amused smile. "Son, why don't you start some coffee? I'll get the ovens ready." Peeta nodded, moving sluggishly toward the ancient coffee-pot on the back counter.

As the day led on, traffic steadily picked up. The bakery was always busy with the week before Christmas, people coming and going to buy pies or yule logs. He even had a few awkward encounters with classmates he hadn't talked to since the summer. One of them being Glimmer.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she clipped as if his family didn't own the bakery she currently stood in.

"Oh, um, I'm here for Christmas break," he explained needlessly. "Er, what can I get you?" She watched him like a hawk as he prepared her order, making him nearly drop it on the floor. How did he ever have a crush on her? When he noticed Rye pushing through the kitchen door, Peeta was all too eager to switch places with him after he finished Glimmer's order.

Rye popped his head through the kitchen door around closing time as Peeta was preparing dough for the morning. "Hey, do you think you could watch the front for me? I need to piss."

"Sure," Peeta said, wiping his flour-covered hands on the front of his apron.

Rye clapped him on the back as Peeta walked by. "Thanks, Peet." He rolled his eyes at the nickname given to him since birth and stepped out to the store's front.

Peeta started locking the display cases when he heard the front door pull open, bringing in a gust of frigid air. He looked up to find Darius kicking his snow, slick boots against the black entry rug; the white piles immediately turned into puddles from the heat of the bakery. Darius let out a low whistle when he noticed Peeta behind the counter.

"Damn, they have you working during Christmas break?" he asked as he walked further into the bakery and leaned against the display case near the register.

Peeta scratched the stubble on his jaw, laughing. "Thought I could use the extra money... I guess."

Darius nodded slightly. "I get it. No one told me I'd be surviving off Ramen and cereal. Can't say that I miss my stepdad's cooking, though."

Peeta chuckled, remembering when Darius's step-dad turned hamburger patties into charcoal at a team meeting. Thankfully, the hotdogs survived. "So," he said purposefully, placing his hands on the counter. "What can I get you?"

Darius looked down into the case he was leaning against, his eyes scanning the array of baked goods. "I'll take four minced pies, and I think mom placed an order for a yule log." Peeta packaged the baked goods into a white box, and rang up Darius's order, giving him his change. "Thanks, man," Darius said as he grabbed the box off of the counter.

"No problem."

He turned to leave but stopped, looking back at Peeta. "Hey, my brother is throwing a party tomorrow at his place. It won't be big, only a few people. You can come... if you want."

Peeta considered this for a moment. He's had nothing but terrible luck when he and alcohol were in the same room. But a slight part of him wondered if Katniss would be there. "... Yeah, I'll go."

* * *

He leaned against the wall in the corner of the packed living room at the party, nursing on his fourth cup of cheap beer. His eyes were a little glassy as he observed familiar faces, noticing more than a _few_ people in the house, making the air muggy from all the extra bodies.

Rye came with him, staying close as he talked to a tall blonde with a pixie cut. Peeta mostly tuned them out, the music loud enough to drown their voices. He caught up with a few of his old classmates, attentively listening to Thom tell him that his girlfriend was pregnant. Or Cato boasting about all the women he slept with, though Peeta couldn't care less.

His eyes scoped the room, sipping the rest of his beer until he regarded a woman in a red sweater on the far side of the room. She wasn't facing him, an ebony braid falling down to the middle of her back. For a moment, he grew hopeful, but he reminded himself that Katniss hated parties. This would be the last place he would think of bumping into her.

Then she turned around, and he nearly choked on his drink when steel-grey eyes scanned the crowd.

At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, unable to believe that Katniss stood only a few paces away. His eyes greedily took her in, fearing that if he blinked, she'd disappear. God, she was beautiful.

She seemed uncomfortable, grabbing her braid to busy one hand while the other held onto a coke. Then his eyes trailed down to her red sweater, and he felt his pulse pick up; the v-neck exposed enough skin for the imagination to wander. He stopped himself from openly ogling her chest like some creep and focused his gaze on her flushed face. He's ready to ditch Rye and walk toward her, his apology ready, when he noticed Gale come out of the kitchen. Halting Peeta's motives. The brunette slightly swayed on his feet, a smile on his face as he greeted her with another drink.

Peeta gripped the little plastic cup in his hand, setting his jaw as Gale caged Katniss against the wall, whispering something into her ear. He placed a hand on her waist, but Katniss pushed it away, scowling up at the man towering over her. He did it again, not noticing Katniss's apparent discomfort.

Before Peeta knew what he was doing, he dropped his cup onto the floor and staggered toward them- his determination fueled by the alcohol in his system. He pulled Gale off of Katniss, and Gale stumbled as Peeta shoved him away. Meanwhile, Katniss stood against the wall, a look of bewilderment on her face.

"Peeta?"

But Gale recovered his footing in time before Peeta could answer, pulling back his fist and connecting it with Peeta's nose. Pain erupted on impact, the metallic taste of blood hitting the back of his tongue. Peeta's ready to lunge at the brunette until Rye interfered, pulling Peeta away from Gale.

Rye dragged him out of the house, turning toward Peeta as they reached the car. "What the fuck, Peeta?" Peeta held his shirt to his face to staunch the blood pouring out of his nose, unable to answer. Rye sighed. "Come on, let's get you home. Dad is going to kill me."

After they arrived home, Peeta immediately disposed of his soiled shirt into the laundry basket. There was nothing he could do about the purple bruise in the middle of his face, wincing as he tried to wash away the dried blood crusted to the bottom of his nose.

While he changed into a pair of sweats, now sober from the pain, he mentally slapped himself after thinking about what happened. What if he had read Katniss's body language all wrong and did nothing more than make a huge fool of himself? What if she didn't mind that Gale's hands were on her? They were probably there together, or that's how it appeared, otherwise she would have chased after Peeta... right?

He inhaled deeply. How full of himself was he?

As Annie said, he was an idiot. A jealous idiot...

* * *

Rye was right about their dad being upset, but most of his disappointment was toward Peeta. He'd never seen his dad's face so red before; it was almost worrisome.

"Well, it's not broken," dad said after he finished inspecting Peeta's nose. "What were you thinking, son?" He didn't rehash into last night, only giving his dad the quick version. Though, his noble actions didn't save him from the fact that he was drinking when it happened, earning him a day of cleaning the bakery by himself.

Around five Peeta locked the back door of the bakery, and turned to walk toward the truck his dad let him borrow. But he stopped dead in his tracks, his legs immobilized by the sight of Katniss leaning against the tailgate, her fingers fiddling with the end of her braid.

He took his time walking toward her, instinctively rubbing the back of his neck. He's waited weeks to talk to her, to apologize, to see her. And now that he finally had the opportunity, words seem to fail him. Her eyes moved up from her shoes when she heard him approaching, silver pools meeting his, and she pushed off the truck.

"Hey, " she said, when he stood a few paces away, her voice shy. "Uh, how's your nose?"

Peeta shrugged halfheartedly, reminded of the constant throbbing in the center of his face. "I've had worse."

Katniss let go of her hair, and her hand dropped to her side. "That's good... about your nose, I mean!" She paused for a moment. "I, um, I didn't know that Gale would be there. Madge wandered off and well... I'm sorry about last night."

Peeta frowned, stuffing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He didn't expect her apology, nor did he deserve it, especially when his near broken nose was at his own expense. "Don't worry about it." He watched as she worried her lip, a crease forming between her brows.

Katniss clasped her hands together anxiously. "I, um, I wanted to talk to you." His heart thudded wildly against his ribcage, and he waited for her to tell him everything they did was a mistake. Or worse, that she'd caught him in the bakery parking lot to break their friendship off in person.

"Okay," he drawled after she said nothing, prompting her to continue.

She offered him a slight quirk of her mouth. "I, uh- how are you?"

He'd laugh at the question if she wasn't serious. "I'm okay... I guess." He's told worse lies. "I heard about you getting accepted upstate. Congratulations."

Her smile faded. "Who told you?"

"Effie."

She grimaced, pushing a piece of hair out of her face. "I was going to tell you, but I... I needed time."

He nodded in understanding. "Is that the only reason you're here?" he asked timidly. "To talk about last night?" He needed to know.

"No... not really." Katniss let out a loud breath, scuffing the pavement with the toe of her shoe. "I miss you, Peeta- a lot. I'm still upset that you never told me, though I recognized that it's unfair when we were never together. But, um, that's not what I wanted to talk about." Wetting her lips, Katniss glanced away from him. "Do you, um, do you remember that party after graduation?" He frowned, not understanding where she was going, but he nodded regardless. "It took me a while to accept that I was jealous when I saw you and Glimmer together that night... I-I just didn't want to lose what we had."

His heart leaped into his throat as he absorbed her words. "Katniss, what are you saying?"

Clearing her throat, she started playing with the end of her braid again, looking down at her shoes. "At first, my feelings confused me, or maybe I always felt that way and never acknowledged them." She rambled, her words coming out faster with each syllable. "I brushed it off as a minor infatuation, but uh, that didn't seem to be the case-"

"Katniss," he interrupted, and she looked up at him sharply, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"I like you, Peeta... I've liked you for a while, actually."

It took everything in him to remember how to breathe, while the rest of him internally jumped with joy. Suddenly, everything pieced itself together. "So... is that the reason you answered none of my calls that week?" A blush tinted her cheeks, and she gave him a weak smile, shrugging. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Her eyes narrowed briefly before she looked at him questioningly. "Would it have changed anything?"

"Katniss, it would have changed everything," he tried to keep his voice even, but he couldn't suppress the emotions coiling up in his chest. "I'm sorry. I just- shit!" he breathed, his heart racing from the new bit of information. "It would have been nice to know that the girl I had a crush on my entire life liked me back." Peeta ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what else to do. "What about Gale?" he asked, his voice strained. "Why did you go on a date with him?"

"I hoped it would help me get over my infatuation. That sounds kind of silly now that I say it out loud," she admitted softly. "It seems we both messed up."

He snorted as he shook his head in disbelief; the sound aggravating his nose. "Yeah, so it seems."

As much as he wanted to be upset with Katniss... he couldn't muster the energy to be. He was more upset with himself, wondering if maybe he should have tried harder all these years. Perhaps they wouldn't be awkwardly standing in the middle of a dark parking lot, confessing all of their mistakes. Instead, they'd be inside watching terrible Christmas movies and eating leftover cookies from the bakery until their stomachs hurt...

"Oh." Katniss reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small parcel wrapped in green paper. He recognized it instantly. "I wanted to give this back to you. I think I might have grabbed it by accident when I left that day."

She held it out to him, Annie's wrapping still intact after three months. "Er, thanks," he said, but he considerately pushed it back toward her rather than grabbing it out of her hand. Peeta held back a gasp when his warm hand touched her cold one. He had to quash the impulse to wrap them in his own, letting his hand drop back down to his side. "It's, uh, actually for you. You can open it."

Katniss looked back down at the gift, her thumb smoothing over a minute tear at one fold. Slowly, she tore apart the wrapping paper, unveiling the black velvet box, and her eyes instantly shot up to his. Though she didn't wait for an explanation as she glanced back down at the box and pushed open the lid. He watched as she ran a finger over the smooth black pearl, the dainty gold chain glinting off the street lamps above.

It wasn't a box full of diamonds, though he didn't think she cared for them much, anyway. He saw the pendant through the window of a small jewelry store downtown after work, thinking she'd like its simplistic nature.

After a moment of silence, he grows anxious. "It was supposed to be a Christmas present," he explained needlessly.

She says nothing, and he's worried that she doesn't like the necklace. He opened his mouth, needing to say something... anything. But Katniss crossed the distance between them and rose on her toes to kiss him, silencing the words on his tongue. It was clumsy and unexpected, causing her to bump his nose.

"Ow," he groaned, but his breathing was shaky and shallow from the feel of her lips on his.

Startled, she pulled back, her cheeks beet red and eyes wide with worry. "Are you-"

Peeta shook off the pain and cupped her face, bringing her mouth back to his before she could finish. With a sharp inhale, her free hand reached up and gripped the front of his jacket, pulling him further into the embrace. The kiss was slow and soft, sending a fuzzy feeling through his chest and down his spine, warming his body despite the frigid air. When they broke apart, breaths mingling, he's unable to get rid of the goofy grin stuck on his face as he looks down at Katniss.

He ran a thumb across her cheek. "Katniss... I can't apologize enough for being a giant idiot, though I'll do it until I'm blue in the face. But I want to do this the right way and take you out on a date... if you'll allow it."

She smiled up at him. "Okay," she conceded. Her smile grew and she played with the front of his jacket. "But you have to go through Haymitch first."

He chuckled, a quick burst from his chest. He should be terrified about ending up in the same room as Haymitch, but he's too enraptured by the reality that Katniss Everdeen agreed to go on a date with him. "So, how much does he hate me?" he asked.

Katniss laughed, her breath fanning across his chilled cheeks. "He'll get over it."

* * *

_8 years later..._

Katniss beamed into her cup of tea as their three-year-old son filled the icy winter air with his youthful peals of laughter. Peeta held both of Bram's chubby hands in his, expertly skating backward at a snail's pace to move the pair up and down the small iced-over pond in their backyard. Their cheeks were ruddy, but the cold couldn't displace the bright smiles on each of their faces.

She and Peeta had discovered the skates when they were rummaging through their attic for Christmas lights and came across a box that had Peeta's name on it in black ink. Inside they found an abundance of Peeta's baby pictures, some children's toys that Peeta didn't want her to see, and the skates. Katniss saw the idea spark in her husband's blue eyes before he uttered the words.

She watched Peeta's frame shake with mirth when their son fell into a fit of giggles as they spun around to skate down the ice again. Seeing them together, giant smiles spread across their faces, made her heart swell in her chest.

Peeta glanced over at Katniss as they skated by and offered her a crooked smile, "you're not going to join us?"

Katniss stared at him like he sprouted a second head and pointed toward her ever-growing belly. "Did you forget that I'm a whale right now?"

Peeta gave a throaty laugh, the kind that made her insides do a somersault. "You're beautiful." He hoisted Bram off the ice to hold the giggling toddler in his arms. "Come on, buddy."

Later that night, after they put Bram to bed, Peeta cleaned the kitchen while Katniss placed the stockings under the tree. She padded into the kitchen, finding Peeta putting plates away in the cupboard, appreciating how the muscles under his shirt flexed from the movement. Normally, she'd sneak up behind him and wrap her arms around his middle, distracting him momentarily. But it was a hard feat now that her stomach was in the way.

Chewing the corner of her bottom lip, Katniss walked up to him. Somehow, she still managed to startle him, and he looked over at her, eyes wide. She tried not to laugh and leaned against the counter next to him.

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling to himself. "You move like a mouse."

"I don't believe I'm _that_ quiet anymore, or maybe you startle easily," she quipped, poking his side. He laughed again and swatted her hand away from his ribs, before grasping it in his large one to draw her closer.

Katniss's breath stuttered in her throat, her body's reaction from being near the man in front of her. Peeta brought his hands up to caress her face, one callused thumb smoothing over her cheek. He smiled down at her before leaning down to brush his lips against hers. Her hands found purchase on his forearms when his tongue licked against the seam of her mouth, fearing she'd fall into a puddle if she didn't have something to hold on to. The kiss lit her on fire, burning her in the most delicious way. And she moaned embarrassingly when it was over too soon.

Peeta pressed his mouth to her forehead. "What was that for?" she breathed.

She felt him smile into her skin, and her lips quirked of their own accord until a wide smile spread across her face. "I'm the luckiest man in the world, and I wanted you to know that," he whispered. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she cursed her pregnancy for turning her into an emotional mess. "I love you, Katniss."

As he pulled away to look down at her, their smiles equally bright, she whispered, "I love you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support on this story! I know I've been away for a while and haven't replied to some comments, but I greatly appreciate you sticking with this piece and seeing it through. I will make sure to go back and reply to anyone I have missed:) Hopefully, you enjoyed this sweet conclusion! I'm sad to see this end, but I'm excited to finally move on to some other projects that I have on the back burner. Thank you again!
> 
> Find eiramrelyat on [Tumblr](https://eiramrelyat.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!:)


End file.
